The Milestone
by rrreeves
Summary: .OCxSeph. REWRITTEN. Sephiroth is alive. New Mako reactors have been built - Shinra has returned. As he considers his options, face hidden by a cloak, he is found by a young woman who is apparently not going to let him go before finding out his name.
1. Midgar

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. This story is written by me, a _fan._

**The Milestone**

_OCxSeph. Sephiroth is alive. New Mako reactors have been built and Shinra has returned. As he considers his options, his identity hidden by his cloak, he meets a young woman who is apparently not going to let him go before finding out his name. _

* * *

**Midgar - Onslaught**

* * *

It was a completely ordinary day – a day just like any other, yet unlike all others. There existed an illusory veil of ignorance shrouding Midgar even now, years after Sephiroth's defeat. It was not raining and the wind was not blowing, and the sun had long since vanished from the sky to announce the arrival of night. Taking the darkness and the shadows into consideration, it was indeed the best time of the day for one such as Sephiroth to make his approach. He was waiting – standing with Midgar before him. Through his mind coursed thoughts of what to do with the countless options he had at hand. Cloud and his teammates – the rest of Avalanche – believed he was dead. That he had shattered and would never again resurface from the depths of the Lifestream. And in believing so, they were gravely mistaken. Sephiroth had managed to force himself to live, and he had survived. How could he take advantage of that? There were many alternatives for him to choose between to get his revenge, yes, but which would be the best? Which would be the most horrible way to make sure he was remembered? The way that would cause the most suffering?

At the moment he was wearing a long, black cloak with a hood to hide his face. His hair was well hidden within, as was his long sword, Masamune – attached to his back with a convenient magnet, as it had always been.

Then he noticed the faint presence of a fiend, a little weakling not knowing any better. The small creature circled him, its tiny eyes eyeing the tall, cloaked figure that it believed would be an easy prey. Yet, despite its fangs and claws, it simply had to be one of the weakest Sephiroth had ever encountered. Simply disgusting. He almost pitied it.

But _almost_ was not enough for him to spare it. It died so quickly it couldn't possibly have known what hit it.

* * *

A young woman dressed in black ran as fast as she could muster through the dusty streets. Her breath was ragged and her movements hurried as she randomly chose a turn to shake off her pursuers. She couldn't help but smirk despite her obvious fear and complete lack of breath; her mission had been hard, really difficult to say the least, but she had gotten away. She had definitely been lucky.

For a couple of nights, she had dressed herself up as a regular cadet and moved from reactor to reactor, placing small devices in the main engines of the Mako reactors of Midgar. Not without people getting suspicious, though, but she had gotten away with it. Once all the devices were in position after days of work placing them, she had gone ahead and _pushed the button,_ so to speak. And then they all exploded. The bombs were definitely not large, but they were effective (needless to say, she hadn't made any of them herself). By only getting rid of the very _core_ of each reactor, she avoided unnecessary casualties while at the same time rendering the reactors completely useless. This technology was new (and she had no idea how it worked – only that pushing the button would trigger an explosion), and it was a better solution than the huge bombs that had been used in the past.

The parts of the reactors that had exploded couldn't be fixed, they had to be _replaced._ To say it would be expensive was an understatement. From what she had gathered, one small engine would cost millions of gil. In other words, the machines were extremely rare and advanced, and _making_ them took more than just a little time. Shinra would have to pay a lot of money for their scientists to even start building one. It was a very difficult process, she had been told. But with Avalanche being a little slow lately, she had gone ahead and made a bet with several 'certain someones', and thus gotten herself in a huge mess.

But she had pushed the button a little too early. And now, Shinra guards were following her.

She ran into a narrow alley, a dead end with lots of junk, broken crates and shattered bottles, ready to use its shadows for protection. Then her hand moved into one of her pockets and brought out a smoke bomb. Wasting no time she threw it, and after seeing it explode she waited. The few Shinra cadets and low-level Soldiers followed her, all at once, surrounding the smoke in the alley. Thinking that perhaps it _wasn't _a dead end, and that she had continued on, they all suddenly charged in after her, ready to give chase again. But thanks to her black clothes and the slight overdose of smoke (which by the way didn't lessen her heaves for air much), they couldn't see her. And then she made her way out of the smoke while hearing them shout behind her in their aimless ramble.

Her life was safe for now, probably. All she had to do at the moment was to get out of the city, then worry about her other problems later.

Still breathing heavily, she ran - or jogged woozily - to the outskirts of Midgar.

Upon exiting the now pitch black city, she noticed a lone shadow-like person standing still by himself, his black clothes billowing around him silently. She couldn't really tell if he was a man at all, but guessed so from his height. He was tall; taller than an average person, but she couldn't see his face, as it remained hidden in the shadows of his hood. His long cloak danced around him. Blinking slightly, she tried to feel if there was any wind, but there wasn't any. Had the person noticed her?

Being curious, as was one of her bad habits, she moved closer. His head moved slightly in her direction, but he still didn't face her completely. She guessed he felt her presence. Just as she was about to ask him something, the voices of Shinra guards were heard nearby, and her head snapped around to look in their direction and she automatically ducked down a little. The voices disappeared after a short while, suggesting that the guards had left. The young woman sighed slightly. Able to relax, she warily rose to her full height again.

"...Are you by any chance in trouble with Shinra?" she heard a cold voice demand, and she turned to the man in the dark cloak. She moved, ready to change into battle stance. For all she knew this man could be a Shinra guard in disguise.

But he was only one man.

"I broke the reactors..." she said in a quiet voice, watching his hood. He moved slightly, but still didn't face her.  
"All of them?" he nquired. She nodded slowly, frowning a little.

"Hm," she heard him mutter, not impressed. He didn't move.  
"Are you working for Shinra?" she asked, curious.

After her question left her, a strong, heavy silence ensued, and a strong gust of wind blew dust into the air. For a brief moment she could have sworn she felt a strong pressure of pure and raw energy ravaging the surroundings, and she glanced around hurriedly. There were no fiends nearby.

"_No,_" he replied, his voice dark and cold. The young woman didn't know if she should be relieved or not upon hearing that. Shinra worker or not, he could be dangerous either way.

"Oh... That's good. I don't like Shinra," she said, trying to get on his good side. Anything was better than making a dark, mysterious, tall, intimidating, cold man her enemy. But he ignored her words.  
"...Why did you destroy the reactors?" he asked, his voice slightly louder than before, yet also darker. She frowned at his question.  
"Because if they don't stop using the Lifestream, the Planet will die. The Planet needs its energy for itself," she said, feeling more determined now. Even though that was only half the truth. She had gone ahead and agreed when some random persons had made a bet with her. She had herself to thank for getting into this mess. At least she didn't have to buy (or steal, for that matter) the bombs herself.

Silence ensued, and the man continued to watch Midgar. Was he about to enter the city, or was he leaving? Was he saying hello or goodbye to the dusty, overpopulated place that was once destroyed by the Meteor, and then rebuilt?

"Why do it yourself? Why not leave it to _Avalanche_?" he demanded, and the last word was filled with what could only be despise. Avalanche... That was the name of the group lead by the famous hero Cloud. The young woman shifted, thinking of an answer.

"...I suppose... they're just too busy right now... They're not in Midgar, I think. At least not all of them. So I took the matter into my own hands," she said, turning to watch Midgar as well. Because the Mako reactors were now broken, the city was shrouded in darkness.

"Not here..." he repeated silently, and she could barely hear him.

Noticing movement, she turned to watch the tall man leave. His tall form seemed to blend with the shadows the further away he strode. It looked to her like he was walking really slowly, but he still disappeared quickly. He moved forward with a gracious elegance that she doubted she would ever be able to copy. But that didn't mean she couldn't move as _fast_ as him. With this thought set in her mind she dashed after him, determined to catch up. She didn't know why, she just felt like it. This was like a sort of challenge, and she wouldn't lose that easily. Her goal was to catch up with him. That simple.

* * *

Sephiroth knew he was being followed. Why the young woman followed him was not quite beyond him, though; she most likely had some unanswered questions. No matter what her reasons were, however, her _actions_ only annoyed him. He did not need to turn his head to know if she was closing in or not. He could _hear_ her. Breathing heavily already, she continued putting in an effort to catch up, and while she did, her feet made quite a lot of noise every time they hit the ground. Frankly speaking, having somebody teach her how to run properly would be a good idea.

How had she managed to break the Mako reactors if she could not run any better than this? This was _pathetic. _

Just to get rid of her and end the nuisances she was sure to bring with her, he could kill her. But as it were, he had already killed one worthless being today. To kill _two_ such worthless beings in less than an hour would be a waste of effort. The woman was not even worth killing. So he increased his speed to make it harder for her to follow his pace. She should be grateful.

* * *

"Hey! ...Wait!" she called out, her eyes fixed on the tall man. In stead of politely stopping and answering, the man sped up. As she saw this, she frowned deeply. That was _really_ rude – a part of her wanted to tell him that, face to face, but only if she dared to. With these thoughts fixed in her mind _she_ sped up as well, determined to catch up with him before she had no energy left. She dashed forward, watching the back of the cloaked person. He wouldn't get away that easily. As she noticed the distance between them lessen, she increased her speed even more. When she finally caught up with him he stopped, but didn't turn around to face her.

"Fi...Finally..." she said, her breath ragged. He turned his head to his right, as though to look over his shoulder. His hood shielded them both from each other's view, though.  
"...What is it that you want," he demanded, _not_ trying to hide the irritation in his voice. She bent forward slightly, supporting herself by holding her hands on her knees.  
"I just thought... That I'd ask... Your name..?" she said, panting heavily still.

* * *

His _name?_ As if he would ever tell anyone such a thing. All the humans on the entire Planet, without exceptions, believed he was _dead._ Revealing his name to any of them would be foolish beyond comparison. That way Cloud and his team would surely come after him again. Not that Sephiroth cared; he would win this time, that much was for sure. However, before extracting revenge, he had matters to attend to; events to prepare. Meanwhile he did not want to be disturbed. His plans were already starting to take on the forms he wanted them to.

As he remained silent, the woman straightened her back and stared into the shadows of his hood, as he had now turned to face her.

"...If you don't want to tell me your name, then why not tell me were you're going?" she asked, obviously trying to get to know at least _something _about him.  
"That is none of your business," he said, his voice monotonous. After giving his answer, he turned and started walking again. The woman followed him.

"I'm Mika," she offered. As if her name would interest him.  
"That does not concern me the slightest," he responded, and once again stopped. Mika stopped as well, seemingly eager for him to speak.

So he remained silent.

"...But I thought that, perhaps, since I told you my name, you'd tell me y-"  
"You were wrong in presuming anything along those lines. Now, _leave,_" he said in a strong, yet controlled voice.

If she did not leave, he would kill her. It was as simple as that.  
The Mika character looked at him uncertainly, shifting. Then she turned around slowly.

"...Yeah, sure... Sorry for bothering you. Hope we'll meet again when you're in a better mood..." she mumbled as she walked away. Better _mood?_ She was bestowing upon him – in her mind – such a human trait as a _that_? Sephiroth was never in a bad mood. The words that described him the best were something else entirely: He was determined and focused, having eyes only for his ambitions and the _loss_ of whoever went in his way. Thinking this, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction of Mika – he did _not_ wish to meet her again.

* * *

Mika sighed quietly. Once again she had messed up a conversation. Where would she go now? Her plan had been to go straight to the next Mako reactor, but that was really far away. Meanwhile, she had to find somewhere to get some sleep. There was a town nearby; Kalm. Perhaps she'd find an Inn there.

But Kalm was in the opposite direction. The cloaked man had gone that way. If she followed him and he noticed her, what would she do? ...She would just have to tell him the truth, that she was heading for Kalm. He couldn't keep her from going there if she wanted to. And if he didn't like that she was going to the same place as him, he could go somewhere else, because Mika had already made up her mind. She made a full turn and marched in the right direction. Kalm was her destination, and no one would stop her.

...Her march was a little slow, though, as she didn't really want to catch up with the cloaked man.

* * *

The night turned darker by the minute, and Sephiroth had stopped a while ago. Again, he was thinking. As things were at the moment, he had managed to come up with a tentative plan. More than one plan had rolled around in his mind up until now, and the best ones all contained surprise attacks. One of the plans were better than the others, though. It was a fine plan, he dared venture. After destroying all the Mako reactors, the Lifestream would grow larger. And then Sephiroth could once again summon Meteor. Once the Planet tried using the Lifestream to prevent the Meteor from hitting and damaging it, Sephiroth would redirect most of the energy to himself. Thus the knowledge and wisdom of the Lifestream would be passed on to him, and though not willingly, the Planet would serve as his source of lore.

But the reactors presented a problem, since they absorbed much energy... He could easily destroy them, but not without suspicion. If even _one_ person saw him in action, rumors would inevitably spread. That was not desirable. The black cloak shielded his identity, yes, but him using mastered materia and his long sword could give him away. Using another weapon was an alternative, but then he would have to go to a shop and buy one _in person. _Which again caused a problem.

Looking around again, he located a town not too far away. Despite the darkness he could see the silhouettes of the houses clearly. For now, that place would be his destination. His hand moved up to his hood to pull it down past his forehead, covering his face almost completely. Sephiroth still carried his Masamune, but his black cloak was long enough to cover it. A mere human could easily mistake him for a ghost the way he was dressed now. He would be safe even under the gaze of humans peering from their windows.

* * *

At last she was there. Mika could see the buildings now. She had wandered back and forth aimlessly for a while, unable to see too far ahead. Kalm had no Mako power after what she had done to the reactors back in Midgar. She vaguely wondered if they were angry, but hoped they were just confused, since they probably didn't know the actual cause of the blackout. That would be best, since she didn't want any uncomfortable questions. Lying was not really her way of doing things. Unless she had practised beforehand. And she really hadn't.

Walking towards the town, she noticed a tall silhouette standing right outside it.

It was the cloaked man from before. How would she get past him without him noticing her? Trying to swallow the small lump in her throat while avoiding to do anything suspicious, Mika decided to walk straight past him. She just had to pretend she didn't see him. After all, he looked quite a lot like a shadow. She walked closer and continued past him, then hurried into the dark town, hoping he would ignore her. The town was bathed in shadows and the only things that lit the place were candles in the windows. The white walls on some of the houses made it easier to see as well, but not as much.

"...You," she heard, and froze. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, as if she had been caught in the act. And she kind of had.

Mika turned around slowly. The cloaked man hadn't moved.

"...Yes?" she asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to wake up the sleeping townspeople.  
"Why are you here," he demanded, his voice low and silent – it was not even a question. Mika observed his hood. It was hiding his face quite well.

"Uh, I'm going to get some sleep here. Tomorrow I'll be on my way again. I have more reactors to take care of," she whispered quickly, and turned her head around to find the Inn. She would probably have to wake up the owner. It was getting really late.

"...Reactors to take care of?" he repeated in his low, dark voice, almost mocking her. Mika nodded, and walked straight to the building with an 'Inn' sign above the door. Hesitating slightly, she wondered if she should knock or not. But feeling tiredness starting to take hold of her, she yielded to her needs and knocked.

No one answered, so she checked if the door was open. It was.

* * *

Sephiroth pondered his possibilities and her words. She was going to destroy more Mako reactors, and so was he. A new, rather disturbing plan made its way into his train of thought. What if he could let her do it all, and stay away until she completed the job? Meanwhile he could train as much as he wanted. Once she was done, Sephiroth's main plan could begin: The second summoning of the Meteor.

And no one would think _he_ was the one responsible of the reactor destructions. This Mika person was much shorter than him, and her hair was much darker. She had used bombs, meaning she did not use a sword or materia. This new add to his plan was actually quite convenient. He did not even have to tell her to do it, because she would anyway. And while she was at it, he could just stay somewhere and wait. She would destroy reactors, and he would train.

...No.

It sounded too easy. There had to be a catch. The security in _Midgar_ was low only because there were so _many_ reactors there (Shinra had to split up all the guards to make sure all reactors were guarded at least a little). But the other reactors would be heavily guarded. Despite the fact that they would be in the middle of nowhere, the security would be higher simply because the guards were all in one place. They didn't have to run around, switching places with other guards every other minute. Also, after the attacks on the reactor in Midgar, the security would be heightened.

In addition, judging from her extraordinarily bad running, Mika would be too weak to take on that kind of opponents. _That_ was the catch.

"Hey, you, come here..." he heard, and looked up to see Mika walking into the Inn. Before thinking, he slowly followed her inside. The room was jet-black, except for a candle on the counter, which barely lit the desk and the person resting on it. Sephiroth could see quite well even in this darkness, but he doubted Mika could. She had extended her arms and was feeling her way towards the lit desk, as if frightened she would step on something which should not be stepped upon.

There was a man sleeping at the desk, his head resting on his arms.  
"...Um, excuse me, sir?" she asked cautiously.

_Sir? _Why did she call this man 'sir'? He was not worthy of such a title.

Mika poked the man's arm and he woke up. Blinking several times, he used his hands to search for the glasses that were on the counter next to the candle. After putting them on, he squinted at the visitors. Sephiroth wondered for a moment if this bothersome person could see him at all. He could most likely not.

"...Sorry, I seem to have fallen asleep... Can I help you, Miss?" he asked. Sephiroth resisted the urge to frown at the petty human. He hadn't noticed Sephiroth at all. But it was for the best.

"I'd like to rent two beds, please," she said, and at that, Sephiroth's gaze snapped to her.

"...Two _separate_ beds, preferably as far away from each other as possible," she added quickly in something akin to a breath. Right about now, this _Mika_ person had some explanation to do. And if that explanation was worse than good, she would end up paying with her life.

* * *

**R.R.**  
(I will renew the entire story, chapter by chapter. And when I'm done renewing a chapter, I will make the chapter _title _**bold, like this.**)

Reviews will be converted into gil and given as ransom for Sephiroth to let Mika live.


	2. Kalm

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

If you have no idea where 'Kalm', 'Midgar' or any other town or place is, search for 'FF7 map' on google. That ought to give you an overview throughout the story! ;)

* * *

**Kalm - Pursuit**

* * *

"...Two beds? Are you sure? You are only one person, are you not?" the tired man asked, looking into the shadows behind Mika. She swallowed.

"Uh, well, yeah... The other one will be here later," she said, her voice dry. The man tilted his head a little and found a book and a pen beneath the counter.

"Okay. Write your names here, please," he said. His head dropped every now and then, as if he was about to fall asleep again. Mika took the pen and started writing, very aware of the growing energy coming from behind her. _Mika_ and... _Mr. Smith._ The name she came up with for the man definitely lacked fantasy. She hoped it wouldn't be too obvious that the name was fake. She returned the book to the man and he glanced at it.

Then he nodded tiredly and put the book down.

"...I will go get some sleep... Good night, miss. Oh, and shall I leave the door unlocked for your friend?" he asked. If only he knew her _'friend' _was right there with them. Mika turned in 'Mr. Smith's' direction to see if he was still there. She couldn't really see him, but she could feel he was in the room. His aura was extremely strong, weaving into every little inch of the room, herself included.

"Yes, thank you..." she managed to say, then moved for the stairs. She heard the old man close the door, but not lock it, and then he disappeared into what she believed was his room.

Once Mika was upstairs she immediately turned around to see if the hooded man was still there. She thought that he had come to Kalm to say at the Inn, and she wanted to pay for him. A simple act of kindness, or at least politeness. Now she didn't know if that had been such a good idea after all. Standing on top of the stairs, his dark silhouette sharp against the slightly lighter background, he looked at her from the depths of his hood.

"_Why did you do that,_" he demanded, his voice sounding dark and silent, yet completely clear.

"...I thought you were going to stay for the night, too... So I thought I'd just pay for you..." Mika muttered, her eyes fixed on the silhouette.

* * *

Sephiroth contemplated her words carefully. No matter how much he disliked it, he too needed to rest – that was one of his human flaws. It did not matter how much of Jenova's cells he hosted; a part of him would always be human. Of the same reason, Cloud had defeated him in the past. That, however, was not something he would allow the next time they encountered each other. As for the person in front of him, this _Mika_, he found it rather suspicious that she would pay for a complete stranger. He guessed she did because of the unnecessary and highly annoying trait that most humans called _kindness_. He despised it. 'Kindness' could not help the humans at all – it could not save them.

Slowly he glanced towards the beds nearby. Dirty human beds.

Yet, sleeping _here_ would still be better than sleeping outside. With a frown on his hidden face he walked over to the innermost bed without a word to Mika. If she thought he was going to thank her, she was mistaken. The woman did not move at all. The mere fact that she was still breathing and standing upright, even after his energy had overflowed the Inn, annoyed him. He wished she would drop to the floor, unconscious, to leave him in peace. The owner of the Inn had almost fainted from his energy earlier, but he had probably mistaken it for drowsiness. As things were, however, he could not simply let his energy flow freely and thus expose himself.

He sat down on a bed in the far end of the room, by the window, facing Mika. Once he stopped moving she carefully walked over to the bed closest to the stairs, as far away from him as possible. After removing her boots and heavy jacket full of pockets, she lay down on the bed, wrapping the blankets around herself tightly. Her head was almost completely hidden. As if to create distance, which was more than fine by him, her back faced him. Once he was sure she would move no more, he lay down as well. He kept his clothes on, even the hood and the boots.

The only thing he removed was his long sword. He lowered the Masamune to the floor and put it down gently, so no one would hear it, then pushed it under the bed. After doing so Sephiroth tried entering a state of rest.

_Never_ did he _sleep_.

Before he found out about Jenova, he had slept regularly, like any other human. After he found the truth however, he only _rested._ It was a state in which he was neither asleep, nor awake. In that state he found himself thinking more than usual. Subconscious thoughts flowed to him from Jenova, and some thoughts from his old human self.

After some minutes he noticed Mika was not yet sleeping. More minutes passed; long minutes at that. The bothersome woman remained awake. Her breath was completely calm, as if she was sleeping, but he knew she was awake. Was she pulling some kind of prank on him? Was she foolish enough to think that she would be able to trick him into thinking she was actually sleeping? More minutes passed and Sephiroth found himself listening to the clock in the room. The tall piece of furniture stood on the opposite side of the staircase, sounding louder the more he concentrated on its sound. Sometimes it was fast, and other times it seemed to slow down. But Mika was still awake.

Finally, after an hour and a half, she fell asleep. Her breath did not change, but he still knew. It had always been like that; he could feel whether people were conscious or not, or if they were dead. Three different states of mind: life or consciousness, sleep or unconsciousness, and death. Then his own, the _fourth_ state: Resting.

The hours passed and morning arrived, bringing with it the light of day that gradually started penetrating the pale curtains and reaching for the depths of the room. Sephiroth heard Mika wake up and walk downstairs. About half an hour she came back up again, smelling of soap, probably from having taken a shower. If she was tired she did a good job hiding it. After putting on her outerwear, he heard her hesitate before she cleared her voice.

"Hello? Are you awake?" she asked in a quiet, mild voice, irritating Sephiroth. He did not reply, nor did he intend to let her know that he was indeed awake.

"...If you are, good morning," she added, her voice still disgustingly kind. This was not a good morning. If it were up to him it would be raining right now, in stead of the sun shining. The humans were always happier in the sun. Hearing Mika walk down the stairs, he sat up in the bed. After grabbing his sword from the floor, he hid it underneath his cloak and moved downstairs without a sound. As he moved past the counter, he heard the owner of the Inn gasp in surprise upon seeing him. Slowly he turned his head to observe the man from within his hood, and the old man swallowed, his eyes wide. It was a good thing his face was hidden.

"G-Good morning, uh, Mr. _Smith_, Sir!" he stammered, glancing in the book on the counter to find the name Mika had written the night before. Sephiroth turned away, his mouth in a soundless snarl, then walked out the door without responding.

First of all he had to get his hands on another weapon. In order to destroy the Mako reactors that drained the Lifestream, he would need a new weapon that no one would recognize. If he kept using his long sword, people would eventually realize he was Sephiroth. In order for him to keep the moment of surprise, he could not risk rumors about himself roaming about. If everything went according to his plans he would make it to the Crater once more, and this time Cloud would not be there in time to keep him from summoning Meteor. Therefore, to stay hidden, Sephiroth had to steal a weapon no one would find familiar. The mere thought made him frown. To sink to the level of a petty thief was not tempting, but he had no money. On the other hand, he could use his verbal skills to make the shop keeper 'give' him a weapon. It was worth a try.

Once he was outside, the people walking the streets looked at him with wide eyes. Some looked frightened, others were frowning at him. A couple of children just looked curious. If only they knew who they were watching. Sephiroth seemed to glide forward as he moved up the stairs and towards the Weapon Shop, and not a single person uttered a word while he did so. He walked into the shop and stopped in front of the counter. The shop owner looked at him, eyes narrowed and brows arched, not saying a word. Sephiroth could not have cared less. He scanned the weapons with his eyes - they had improved from the last time he had been here, but he could not exactly say any of them interested him much. There was only a single sword in there.

"...That sword," Sephiroth said, letting his gloved hand rest on the counter. While still watching him, the shop owner grabbed the single sword and put it on the desk before him. The sword looked like Cloud's sword, which was annoying enough in itself, but it was not nearly as broad. From just watching it Sephiroth could tell it was made out of solidified Mako. A rare product. The Mako resembled blue, transparent steel more than anything. He grabbed the red hilt and raised the sword. At this, the shop owner stepped back, eyes widening a little as he frowned.

"I shall have this," Sephiroth declared, his voice dark and silent. When the frightened man did not move, nor reply, he simply turned to leave.

But his path was blocked – by none other than Mika. She greeted him with a kind, annoying smile and walked past him. Once she had done so, seemingly unaware that he had acquired a sword without paying, Sephiroth left. The previous owner of his sword made a strange sound as Sephiroth disappeared from sight, but did not dare to tell him to stop, so Sephiroth kept walking.

* * *

Mika noticed that the shop keeper seemed troubled. The cloaked man had carried a sword with him. If there was a problem, it most likely had something to do with money, or at least it had something to do with that sword. Had 'Mr. Smith' paid for it? Mika moved up to the counter.

"Um, did he pay for that?" she asked suspiciously, and the man shook his head.  
"No! He just- he just left!" the man exclaimed, looking at her. Mika gave a dumbfounded look, as if _she_ were the one who had lost the sword to a thief, then just gaped. Why would he do such a thing?

"Do you know him, Miss?" the man behind the counter asked, almost leaning over the counter. Mika didn't even know the name of the cloaked man. But the shop owner didn't need to know that.  
"Yeah, his name is Smith. If he didn't pay for that sword, I'll do it," Mika said, trying to sound as polite and calm as possible, so the shop owner wouldn't turn suspicious. He narrowed his eyes, but left it at that.

"That'll be...19 000 Gil." he said, and Mika felt all air leave her for some seconds.  
"Okay..." she managed, her voice dry and slightly hoarse, whereas her legs turned into jelly partially incapable of carrying her weight. She would have to forget about buying new materia for herself. Her old ones would have to do.

And Smith would have to pay her back for this.

* * *

As he carried the blue Mako sword outside, Sephiroth received even more glares than he had before. There were even people peering at him from their windows. All of them remained quiet, not uttering a single word. As this was none of his concern, he simply left the small village, not intending to return. Once he left Kalm, though, he heard them speak up again. He did not care what they thought of him, but he simply could not keep their words from reaching his ears:

"I don't think he's a member of Avalanche, I mean, seriously, that man looked much more like he works for Shinra."  
"No, he can't be working for Shinra, they have special uniforms there, unless your rank is really high..."  
"But he hides under a cloak - perhaps he's a criminal? One who's escaped from jail?"

Sephiroth frowned.

"Haha, I don't think so. Perhaps he quit Shinra of his own will, and now he wanders the world to find the meaning of life."  
"That's just a tad bit too philosophical, if you ask me. But who knows – if that's really the case, and he goes to the Chocobo Ranch, perhaps he'll meet Cloud and join Avalanche?"

"Eh? Cloud's there? You reckon he's the one responsible for the blackout?"  
"I dunno. I just heard he was there alone, training one of those chocobos of his for a race or something."  
"Really?"

Sephiroth heard no more. If Cloud was at the Chocobo Ranch alone, without the rest of his team, this was a convenient situation that genuinely interested him. What if he could kill Cloud once and for all, today? No one would be able to stop him if he did, and the rest of the Avalanche members were not there to help Cloud this time around. The only reason Cloud had won once before, was because his friends had helped him. To add to this, Sephiroth was not in a weakened state at the moment, nor was he unmotivated. He was more than ready. First he would kill Cloud, then he would continue his quest to crush the reactors. And nobody would know it was him. Only Cloud himself – but he would be dead very soon.

Allowing himself to smirk, he started running east from Kalm, heading in the direction of the Chocobo Ranch.

* * *

Mika exited the town of Kalm just in time to see the cloaked man as he dashed away. Or – to be far more precise – float away with his cloak billowing about vigorously while his feet scarcely touched the ground. His speed was amazing. She wouldn't be able to catch up with him even if she tried. His tall form moved across the plains, his cloak looking more like a dense, jet black cloud shrouding him. If Mika wouldn't have known better, she'd say he was some kind of superhuman, or even fiend. She could just forget about the money she had paid for the sword he stole earlier – he would definitely not give them back.

As she gave a hollow laugh and then sighed in a depressed manner, a boy nearby seemed to notice she was troubled.

"You okay? ...Do you know that man?" the small kid asked after walking over to her. His innocent eyes (a frighteningly strong contrast to 'Mr. Smith's' height and energy) watched her with interest as he waited for her answer. Mika flashed him a brief smile.  
"Not really, but he owes me some money. Besides, I hoped to at least get to know his name..." she said, trying to stop herself from sounding too sulky while she watched as the cloaked man disappeared completely in the distance.

"I can help you!" the kid exclaimed with great enthusiasm, starting to jump up and down in excitement. Mika blinked, doubting him. How could this small boy help her catch up with the shadowy person?  
"...How?" she asked. The boy turned and pointed towards a bearded man looking like somewhat of a nomad, sitting on an old bench not too far away from a chocobo. Mika's eyes widened in instant realization as she figured out what the boy meant. Before thinking twice, she followed him over to the man standing there.

"Pops! This girl can take Choco home!" the boy said in a loud voice, and the bearded man rose an eyebrow as he turned to Mika.

"...Is that true? Can you bring him to the Chocobo Ranch?" he asked, somewhat suspicious.

The hooded man was heading in the direction of the Chocobo Ranch, wasn't he? At least somewhere close to it.  
"Well, yeah, but I don't have any money..." Mika said nervously. The man laughed at that, and his suspicious expression changed into a softer one.

"You don't _pay _to work, you _get paid _to work. Right? I'll pay you 2000 Gil if you bring Choco back to the Chocobo stables for me. I can't keep him here, and I haven't got time to bring him there myself. It'd be a shame if I'd have to let him free after such a long time with him," the man said, and Mika grinned.

"I'd _love_ to, really!" she said.

Only three minutes later, she was on the back of the big, yellow chocobo, waving goodbye to the boy and his father.  
"Be careful, Choco might freak out sometimes..." the man called in a happy voice, and Mika gave a loud laugh. She instantly regretted it, though, as the bird got frightened and sped up and away, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust. The chocobo was so fast that Mika had trouble had trouble holding on. Still, even though the ground raced past them below and the ride was already pretty bumpy, Mika couldn't help but grin. She doubted she had ever moved this fast before.

Riding a chocobo had been something she had always wanted to try (just like many other things), but she just hadn't had the time. They passed many fiends while dashing forward through the great valley, but none attacked them. This pleased Mika immensely, as it would have slowed them down (and possibly also have given her a scratch or two on the behind). It would be a waste of time to stop just to fight some of them.

However, as the hours passed, she found that her muscles were not at all that happy with her choice of transport. She was aching all over from just holding on all the time. Her back hurt as well, from sitting in a hunched position in order to avoid dust and flying pebbles. And her behind – even though they hadn't fought a single fiend – _was _hurting very badly. The chocobo had yet to slow down even a little. How much energy did it have? They had been running for half a day already, and Mika was getting more exhausted by the minute. What had been a dream the first half hour was now a pain in the ass, literally speaking.

Her pained gaze rose just in time to see them enter a yard, and the chocobo stopped dead, nearly making her fall off with a loud _"Auff!"_. As she looked around, there wasn't a single person to be seen.

"Ahem, sorry? Can I help you?" a tiny voice asked, and Mika bent forward to look right in front of the chocobo. There was someone here after all?

A little kid was standing there, looking up at them as if it was the most normal thing in the world to almost be overrun by a chocobo.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry! We didn't hit you, right? I'm new with chocobos, so..." Mika explained, and the child kept staring.

"Actually, I'm here to hand over this chocobo... Its name is Choco," she added, and slid down to the ground, landing on shaky legs. Her knees had never felt weaker. And her backside had never been this sore.  
"Oh! It's Choco! I know this guy! Thanks for bringing him, and, um, if you need to rest, you can go to the main house." After he was done speaking he led the chocobo towards the stables, leaving Mika behind. After glancing around briefly (it was a beautiful place – really peaceful and nice), she walked to the only house she could see (if she didn't count in the stables and the silo). As a result of her chocobo ride it felt rather strange to walk, but that didn't matter. Perhaps they had a pillow or two for her to sit on. She wondered if the people on the ranch had seen the cloaked man somewhere. It couldn't hurt to _ask._

But upon opening the door, she realized she wouldn't _have_ to ask. There, facing the owner of the ranch, was the man with the black cloak. As the two heard her come inside they turned to her. The oldest man seemed to be quite troubled, she could tell. The hooded man held his broad, blue sword, the one he had stolen earlier, and looked ready to attack. Ignoring her, he turned back to the ranch owner.

"...Are you certain he is not anywhere nearby?" he demanded darkly, and the old man nodded sharply.  
"Yes! Mr. Cloud left hours ago, in that airship! He said he was going to find out what had happened to the reactors in Midgar, and his teammates picked him up!" the old man - probably the ranch owner - answered, trembling, his eyes fixed on the sword that remained pointed at him.

* * *

Sephiroth frowned, his expression hidden by his hood.

He had been too late. Cloud was already gone. Running all the way had taken more out of him than he had thought it would – he was tired, and he did not like it. To add to his frustration, that woman had followed him here. How had she managed to get here this fast? By chocobo? His scowl deepened. Mika was an incredibly annoying person, following him like that.

As if on cue, she took half a step towards him.

"Um, I paid for your sword back in Kalm... And I don't expect you to pay me back or anything, since you didn't actually _ask_ me to pay, but you could at least have said 'thanks'," she scolded quietly, seemingly disappointed. Was she, by any chance, telling _him_ what to do? Ordering him? His eyes narrowed. He would _not_ thank her. It was as easy as that.

"No," he said simply, and moved over to another door in the room. Contemplating what to do next, he simply stood there for a long moment, weighing each opportunity in his mind.

"...I shall occupy this room until morning. If you come in..." Sephiroth warned, and his Mako blade flashed. The old man nodded vigorously, giving an overly nervous laugh while folding his hands. At that, Sephiroth opened the door and walked inside the bedroom – eyeing everything in there. As much as he hated to admit it, he was tired from running all the way here. Crossing half a continent would tire anyone. Throwing a last glance out the door before he closed it, he saw Mika's worried face. It seemed to him as if she did her very best to annoy him in all possible ways.

He put the Mako sword on a bed and brought out his own, long sword, Masamune, from inside his cloak. The thin, long blade shimmered in the light from outside. He put it down next to the other sword, then sat down on one of the other beds in the room, exhaling quietly. For now he would rest. And when he no longer felt even a little tired, he would move on to the Mako reactors. Slower this time, so he would not need to rest as much later.

* * *

Once the man closed the door, the poor ranch owner sat down on the only sofa in the room, and Mika hesitatingly followed, only choosing a chair instead. Why was the cloaked man so... dark? He seemed so hateful. Come to think of it, hateful was the best way to describe him. Just like the infamous Sephiroth had been, or perhaps a little like President Rufus and his henchmen. And why had he asked the ranch owner of the whereabouts of Cloud? Was there, by any chance, some sort of connection between the two? Teammates from Soldier? Somebody from Cloud's past?

_No_, she thought, shaking her head. _Stop thinking about it._  
"...Um, do you think I can rest here tonight, sir?" she asked as politely as she could, as if not to scare the already frightened man. He turned to watch her.

"You... You look like a person who can fight, am I right?" he asked. Mika nodded, though very slowly. She knew some handy moves when it came to fighting. But she wasn't exactly an expert. Not at all. She had her precious smoke bombs and a few other things.  
"...Then you can stay. I'll feel safer with you around when _he _is here," he said in a whisper, and Mika smiled nervously.

As if _she _could take _him _on.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Do you like it this far? If so, then please review... :)


	3. The Chocobo Ranch

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. If I did, I would let all the games have the following option: _Japanese audio_ with _English subtitles_.  
Please don't skip paragraphs... (-puppy eyes-) I worked really hard with the entire story... :)

* * *

**The Chocobo Ranch - Counteroffensive**

* * *

Sephiroth was awake all night. Listening to the silence and occasional sounds from the chocobo stables, his thoughts had once again drifted away to a place of which he did not know. The knowledge of Jenova filled his mind and his body felt heavy and distant. Through the veil of rest that shrouded his consciousness, he noticed that someone else was still awake. Judging from the presence he felt, it was Mika. Why did she not sleep? Did she stay awake in case he would leave during the night?

After hours of listening and thinking, pondering possibilities and exploring his own mind, Mika's presence eventually faded until he could no longer feel it at all. What he felt, however, was a strong smell of newly made food – the scent meant it was about time for him to get moving. The warm smell was strong enough to wake him up completely, so he moved to find his swords – they were still there, on the bed he had left them; dead without their master. Once he took hold of his long sword it seemed to fill with energy. He attached it to his back (under his cloak) and grabbed the Mako blade.

Once ready, he opened the bedroom door and entered the small living room. The ranch owner and his children were sleeping on the floor. There was no sign of Mika, but he believed she had slept on the sofa, as there was a sloppily folded blanket on top of it. The smell of food forced his gaze to the small kitchen. Though the smell seemed to linger in the entire house, there were no signs of the actual _source_ of the warm scent. Perhaps that woman had made some and brought it all along, not bothering to leave anything behind. Sephiroth frowned, disliking the fact that he longed for food. It was such a trivial, human thing to do.

Though he had to admit he was hungry, he left the house without grabbing anything to eat. There would be time for food later, after he had crossed the mountains. He would not depend upon these humans.

As he began walking toward the tall mountains, relishing in the fresh air that was devoid of human and chocobo smells, he could not help but remember the last time he had been here. He had killed a Midgar Zolom; a giant snake fiend. The fight had been so easy that it could only be described as pathetic. The gigantic snakes looked intimidating, but they were weak beyond compare. At least to Sephiroth. He knew Could and his friends had had trouble with one, however. That was oddly satisfying to think about.

Upon arriving at the actual swamps, where the Zoloms had once lived, he once again smelled the scent of _food_. When he turned to find the source, he was taken aback to see that it was that person – Mika. He was not _taken aback _as in _surprised, _but rather as in _revolted._ Although she had not _followed_ him this time, he still disliked her her. For now, the strongest reason behind the dislike was that she had food, and he had not. It made sense, however; she had a long journey ahead of her, and she needed food.

She turned to him.

"Huh? Mr. Smith?" she asked, not too surprised. Instead, she actually looked immensely pleased. _Mr. Smith? _Was _that _what she called him? His frown remained hidden within his hood; it did not have much effect, obviously, as she could not see his face. A disturbingly wide smile appeared on her face, which held no fear at all.

"I'm so glad you're here! You see, that Zolom-snake-thing looks kind of strong..." she said, and turned to watch the huge swamp with a sheepish, dumb expression.

In the distance, Sephiroth could indeed spot a large snake. It was true that the creature was a Midgar Zolom. This Zolom, however, was slightly smaller than the ones he had seen earlier. Still, even from this far away, he could see the sun reflecting on its blank hide and its large, hard scales. It was likely that this snake was stronger than the previous ones – not that it mattered. To him, the monster's strength was of no consequence, as he would slaughter it if it came too close anyhow.

"Can you kill it? ...It'll be much easier to cross the swamps that way," Mika asked hopefully, observing the shadows of his hood. Sephiroth knew that the Zolom would track down and kill anyone that wandered into the swamps, but he could easily outrun it. That was no problem. However, that way he would get tired again and would need to rest earlier than he preferred. The swamps were too large to run across without having to rest afterwards. It would be better to just kill it. With that thought in mind, he strode down the small hill and into the swamp.

In the distance, the large snake jerked around immediately. After a second of watching Sephiroth, it started moving in his direction. This did not disturb Sephiroth the slightest, though, and he simply kept walking forward calmly. Behind him, Sephiroth heard Mika follow. She was already lagging behind. As the Zolom approached, he noticed it was not on its way to him at all. It was heading for Mika. This should have pleased him, but she still had all that food with her. If the Zolom killed her, the food would surely be eaten in the process, devoured before she could even yell 'help'. Despite the tempting thoughts of food, however, he kept walking.

* * *

Mika moved forward as fast as she could, but even then she was slowed down by the mud and water. The cloaked man, who she had decided to dub 'Mr. Smith', was way ahead of her, and he didn't look like he was about to stop. Nor did the Zolom. The snake quickly caught up with her, and once it was close enough, it rose up into the air and loomed above her. Its eyes focused on her and she stopped dead. In the corner of her eye she saw that the cloaked man had stopped, but he had yet to turn around. Wasn't he going to help her? Mika felt a nervous feeling enter her mind as she realized she would be fighting the Zolom herself.

But she'd make it. It would be hard, but she would definitely make it.

Perhaps.

As in _maybe_.

The Zolom dove down towards her and she quickly brought a hand into one of her pockets and brought out a small spray box. She dodged the attack and fell into the muddy swamp, but quickly got to her legs, and while the Zolom slowly pulled back to its original stance, she sprayed one of its eyes as it passed her. The spray made the snake growl loudly and it shook its head vigorously. In anger it once again attacked her, and she stumbled out of its way again. This time, her useful spray made its way to its other eye as well. Needless to say, she was thrilled that all her limbs were still intact.

Upon being blinded, though, the Zolom made a dangerously low, growling hiss and snapped in her general direction. Mika barely avoided the attack. Before the Zolom withdrew, she put the spray back in its pocket and in a swift movement she brought out the first weapon she could find: a small gun. Not exactly what she had hoped to find, but it would have to do. With the pocket pistol in her shaking hand, she moved through the water and pointed the gun right up, standing right under the head of the snake. As Mika shot, the bullet made its way through the Zolom's chin and into its head.

The snake stopped dead.

And then it swayed, jaw loose and eyes dull, before falling down into the water. The marsh suddenly seemed silent, and the blood of the snake slowly turned the mud dark purple. Mika moved the derringer gun into her long, open coat, and then shook her hands to stop them from shaking. It hadn't occurred to her that the Zolom could actually have fallen _on top of her_. She was lucky it hadn't.

* * *

Sephiroth had turned around just in time to see Mika using _spray _to blind the snake. It was a positively ridiculous sight. Then she had shot it from below. Humans and their dirty tricks and backhanded solutions. It only contributed to his dislike for them. But this was different. It was, in a way, entertaining. She had looked practically terrified upon realizing the snake was about to fall down on top of her. It would have been quite ironic if it had. Yet, such a thing did not happen. The moment she shut her eyes, bracing herself before it hit her, Sephiroth used a very simple spell to send it off in a _slightly_ different direction.

Only because Mika had food, of course. Whatever she carried that was edible, was worth far more than _her. _If the snake had landed on top of her, the food would have been soaked in blood and dirty water before he could do a thing about it. But now the food was still safe in one of Mika's many pockets. He vaguely wondered which one.

However, as he started walking again and she followed him, Sephiroth soon started feeling regret grow and linger inside him. Mika remained close as they crossed the marshes, and followed in his steps. If she did not, she would most likely sink into one of the many holes in the swamp. The afternoon came and passed, and just when it started raining, they got out of the swamp at the other side. Sephiroth turned around to watch the dead Zolom in the distance. Knowing the physics of this world, he knew it would soon start to dissipate in a mist of glowing pyreflies. It had not moved.

Not that he had expected it to, but he had not expected Mika to kill it that easily either.

"Uh, it's starting to rain..." Mika said, as if he had not noticed. From the moment he saw the clouds earlier, he had known it would start raining. Thus he had also calculated his speed to make sure he would get to the other side just in time to avoid the bothersome weather. Not responding, Sephiroth walked in the direction of the mountain, wherein he knew there would be a labyrinth of caves. If the two of them followed the right one of said caves, they would eventually come out on the other side.

His boots were long enough to keep his feet and legs dry, but the lower part of his long, black cloak was quite soaked. Mika had similar boots, only they were slightly shorter. His went past his knees; hers stopped right below her knees. She was most likely soaking wet, and soon he would hear her boots start squeaking and the woman would start complaining. Her dark coat was worn, but though it was just long enough to have dipped into the marshes on the way here, it was thin enough to dry fast.

As they entered the cave Mika stepped in front of Sephiroth, her arm stretched out. In her hand was a sandwich, half wrapped in a small paper towel.

"For you, Mr. Smith, for leading the way over here," she said contently, looking at him. He raised an arm slowly – but without hesitating – and took the sandwich from her hand. As he did, Mika smiled and sighed, as if she was relieved he had accepted it. Without thanking her, he walked past her and continued into the shadows of the caves while eating.

* * *

Mika hadn't expected him to thank her, and was somewhat satisfied with the mere fact that the man had accepted the food she had made. While walking next to him in silence, she ate her own sandwich as well. It was no longer warm, nor freshly baked, but it still tasted good. A good lunch. Good enough to keep her stomach from growling for a decent amount of time.

The cave was dark and cold, with many fiends. They were quite weak, though, and did not pose any trouble. Smith only ignored them, but Mika took care some of them. Using her materia, she used _Sleep_ magic to make them fall sleep. Killing them when they had no chance of winning (or so she hoped, or else she had a feeling she would make an utter fool of herself) would be cruel, even if they were fiends. However, as they got closer to the exit of the cave, Smith could no longer watch her make the fiends sleep, and killed them with a slash of his Mako blade when they came too close – before she had a chance to use Sleep spells.

"Why do you kill them?" Mika asked.

"...Why do you use 'Sleep'?" he countered. Mika frowned.

"They don't know how strong we are, so they attack, hoping we'll be an easy meal. They don't know better," she said, hoping she didn't sound arrogant. Was sounding arrogant better than sounding like an utter weakling?

Smith didn't reply.

They arrived at the exit of the cave only some minutes later, after walking in the caves for quite a while. However, because the rain was now pouring down, they wordlessly agreed to stay there until it stopped. As the hours passed and the rain kept falling, the fiends continued approaching. Smith had already killed countless of them, and Mika was getting tired of seeing them disappear in small explosions of pyreflies as they died. The cloaked man also seemed to be growing tired of the constant stream of fiends.

Before she could understand what was going on, the man emitted an overwhelming wave of energy. The energy washed over her face and through her entire being, and continued to flow around the man, making his cloak billow around him. The energy ran from him and past her, into the darkness of the cave. The previous sounds coming from the fiends stopped completely. Mika heard their rushed steps and whimpers as they retreated back into the depths of the cave, and she almost considered doing the same.

His power was immense. Who was he? Or had he just used some super-mega-ultra-good item? She looked at him, eyes wide, watching his cloak and hood continue to billow around him as he let out his energy. If she were any weaker, she would probably have fainted from his mere presence already. He seemed to notice her surprise, and the flowing energy ceased. That didn't stop her from staring, though. To him, she probably looked like a bad imitation of an insanely frightened rabbit.

"...What?" he demanded darkly. Mika shook her head and looked away.  
"That was quite something," she said in a low, hoarse and quiet voice, feeling immensely inferior. He said nothing at that.

"Why didn't you do it earlier? The fiends would have left us alone from the beginning," she sdded, turning slightly sulky.

* * *

Upon seeing her wide eyes, Sephiroth had thought Mika was terrified. For a short moment, he even thought she had found out who he was. _That, _however, was not possible. Everyone thought he was dead. Yet, Mika did not seem to know his identity, even after feeling his energy. Also, she hadn't exactly looked _scared –_ taken by surprise, perhaps, but nothing too much like _fear._ To think she would actually come with such a sulky remark. It annoyed him to no end. He doubted she would be as confident if she found out who he was.

He had not planned to let out his energy like that, but the fiends kept coming, and he'd had enough. Now that the fiends no longer disturbed them, however, Mika did not hesitate to annoy him in their place.

"So... Did you like the sandwich?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that Sephiroth frowned. His hood covered his expression and Mika kept watching him, waiting for him to answer. Her hazel eyes were disturbingly normal, with no signs of Mako or any other signs of rare attributes. Her dark brown, nearly black hair was a little messy after billowing around in his energy, but that was the only sign of influence his energy had caused her. Her dark hair was long, but not as long as his own, as it 'only' went halfway down her back. Her black coat was almost as long as his own leather one. Still, the long cloak he wore at the moment, to conceal his identity, was longer than both his and her coat. As for her other garments, she wore black pants and a long, gray top. As he had already noticed before, her boots went up to her knees. He could not help but think she had no other clothes – they looked awfully worn.

"...You made too little," he responded, aiming to insult her. He had apparently miscalculated his words, though, as she _smiled_ in return. Her smile was kind and pleased, which only made Sephiroth frown deeper.

"Thank you. That means you want more, right?" she asked, and he clenched his teeth. He would definitely kill her. Definitely.  
To his surprise, she reached out to him with another sandwich in her hand, waiting for him to take it.

"It's the last I have, but I'm already full," she explained. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the rain was about to stop. As his gaze turned back to the sandwich, he raised one hand, palm up, waiting for her to hand the sandwich over to him. She smirked again and dropped it into his open hand. After his gloved hand closed around it, he rose to his feet.

The rain had already stopped completely.

Sephiroth exited the cave and kept walking, and he heard Mika get to her feet and follow him. Then she settled next to him, walking in the strangest way, looking very concentrated. She walked like a man, only her steps were too long to do any good. He had never seen anyone walk in such a miserable manner before.

"What are you doing?" he asked, observing her strange march.  
"I'm trying to walk the same way as you do," she said, her voice strained and concentrated. She copied him? He did not walk like that.

"...You are shorter than me. Therefore, your steps should also be shorter," he informed. Mika immediately did as he said, but as a result she fell behind.

"But you walk much faster than me!" she exclaimed. Sephiroth scowled.  
"My steps are long and slow at the moment. Yours should be short and fast," he said, still walking.

And soon Mika passed him, her way of walking even stranger than before. Her steps were very short, yet very fast. Her back was hunched forward, as if she was focusing solely on where her feet were going.

"...You should not attempt walking like a man. It looks miserable," Sephiroth commented, and Mika stopped dead in her tracks. As he passed her, she sighed loudly – a sound that made it seem as if she had given up all hope. Obviously giving up on trying to walk like him, she started walking next to him in a lazy, slouched manner instead. It was a miracle she managed to keep up with him like that. Sephiroth once again looked forward, deciding to think of his plan again while she was busy waddling. He would destroy the closest Mako reactor as soon as he could. Seeing as evening was already coming, he would not get there before tomorrow. Was there anywhere he could stay until morning? Looking around, the first thing he saw was a great tower. Staying there was an option.

In any case, after destroying that Mako reactor, he would immediately continue to the next ones. One by one, he would rid the Planet of the energy-draining machines. Then he would go to the Northern Crater and use the Black Materia to summon yet another Meteor. The overflow of energy created within the Planet would be used to create a shield, and where the Lifestream gathered, Sephiroth would be waiting. There, from the Lifestream, he would gather all the knowledge of the ancients beings of the Planet Gaia. First, however, he would have to find the Black Materia. It would be just where he left it. This time, he would not fail.

...And then there was Mika. If she tagged along, he could use her as a decoy. She was also planning to destroy the reactors, although for other reasons. If Shinra guards spotted her right after the destruction of a reactor, they would not even consider the possibility of Sephiroth having returned. They would blame her instead. Simply because she had already taken out a number of reactors in Midgar.

The first reactor he would take down was built not too long ago. It was positioned where the town of Mideel used to be. A new town had been built around the reactor, which drained the fertile land of all its Mako. But Mideel was on an island. Sephiroth himself was capable of flying, but if he were to use Mika as a decoy, he would need a boat or some other means of transport. Flying while carrying her was out of the question, as she would most likely find out his identity like that. Besides, if he chose to use his levitation ability, others could see him and spread rumors.

"Look! We can ask to sleep over at Fort Condor!" Mika said, and Sephiroth was drawn out of the thoughts he and Jenova shared. Without him realizing it, they had arrived in front of Fort Condor, and Mika started climbing the rope leading inside. Sephiroth absentmindedly followed.

As they entered the mountain, they were met by an old man. He was most likely the boss in charge.

"Good evening! Do you think me and my friend can rent beds for the night?" Mika asked boldly, her words disturbingly cheerful, and the old man watched her and Sephiroth thoughtfully. He did not seem to like Sephiroth too much.

"...What are your names?" the old man asked, eyeing the cloaked man as he asked.  
"I'm Mika and he's Smith," Mika said, reverting to how she had been all day; careless. When did Mr. Smith turn to only Smith?

The old man sighed.

"I suppose it can't hurt. You want to rent only one bed?" he asked. At this, Mika frowned deeply and shook her head and her arms.  
"No, no, two beds will do!" she corrected him, and he nodded, amused.

"There are three free beds left. You use two of them as you please," the old man said, and then he left them.

A little later, after placing his swords under the bed he occupied, Sephiroth lay down on top of the blankets and turned to face the wall. He still wore his cloak and boots. A disturbing thought of becoming as dirty as some average human struck him, and he decided to get cleaned up as quickly as possible. But not today, nor tonight. Knowing the others could not see his face like this, nor recognize him, Sephiroth succumbed to a semi-conscious resting state. He barely noticed that Mika once again did not sleep, and pondered whether she was actually an enemy after all. Perhaps she had decided to keep an eye open in case he were to 'escape'. Frowning, he brushed away those thoughts, wishing for undisturbed rest as he listened to the rain that had started to fall again. Tomorrow would be a day to remember.

Even so, as he heard the others in the room mumble news about the broken reactors in Midgar, he could not help but wondering if Mika had something special to her - compared to the average human beings. That thought was quickly eradicated from his mind though, as he remembered her futile attempts at trying to even _walk_ normally. Perhaps she had once been used for Shinra's experiments and then her balance had been damaged as a result? ...No. The most probable explanation to her strange walking was bad habits. Humans always had bad habits. He had even had bad habits himself in the past, but he had been cured.

By Jenova.

* * *

**R.R.**  
When I wrote the words "Fort Condor", my mind was suddenly overcome by the words "Fart Condor". I-... I just can't help it...

Say... Please review? Pretty please?


	4. Fort Condor

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and its characters do not belong to me. This is a fan-written story.

Thanks for reading! ;)

* * *

**Fort Condor – Demolition**

* * *

For the second time in two days, Sephiroth exited the bedroom while inhaling a strong smell of food. As he entered the common room, with his hood over his head and his swords under his cloak, he was greeted with the sight of gleeful men around a table covered with food. On the rough wooden table was an impressive variation of sandwiches, all sized and shaped differently, each having their own colorful pieces of food stuffed between each pair of bread slices. In between he spotted mugs with lemonade and bowls of noodles, and other, even less appetizing food. Looking up, he saw Mika place a freshly baked bread in front of the men. They proceeded by attacking the bread – and the other food – like starving vultures, as if there were no such thing as etiquette in existence in their own, personal worlds. Mika stepped back and took in the view from where she _wouldn't _get spit or crumbs or things of the like hurled in her direction.

If she thought Sephiroth would sit down and eat with previously mentioned vultures, she was gravely mistaken. Then, as if she were capable of reading his thoughts, Mika raised an arm with a small bag.

"I have food for us here, Smith, so we'll be leaving shortly," she called to him over the noise of eating men. Sephiroth, without replying, walked around the table, the exit his destination. "And we should leave before they finish, or else I'll have to do the dishes," Mika added in a low whisper. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow, ignoring that she had said _'we'_ twice. "Considering the fact that they eat rather fast, I would say you have to hurry," he informed with spite, watching the men leaning over the table and grabbing whatever kind of food they could reach.

Mika grinned at that and headed for the exit. As they left Fort Condor both of them were relieved to find that it was no longer raining. For Mika, that meant she would not get wet. For Sephiroth, however, it meant that they would not leave deep and muddy tracks for others to follow. But just to be on the safe side, they should walk on the grass.

They had yet to find a boat they could use to get to Mideel, though. He couldn't use his levitation ability to get there – not with Mika watching. If she saw and found out his identity, he would rid himself of her. For now, however, she came with him for two reasons, _food _being the first. As for the second reason, he could use her as a sort of decoy to conceal his own actions. If he destroyed a reactor, he would get away easily before Shinra soldiers arrived. Then they would see Mika instead, and when she blamed _him_, they wouldn't believe her.

"So, are you coming with me to take out the reactor in Mideel?" Mika asked, looking up at his hood. "Correction: _You_ seem to have tagged along with _me,_" Sephiroth replied in what sounded like a snarl. At this, Mika raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes.

"So... You were aiming for the reactors from the beginning? Before you met me?" she asked. Sephiroth turned to her while still walking.

"...You. Why do you destroy reactors?" Sephiroth demanded. Mika blinked and turned away from him. "I already told you. The Planet suffers when Shinra drains away its energy," she said quietly.

"That is a lie. There has to be other reasons than just that one, surely," he muttered, and she flashed an apologetic smile in his direction. "Well... I suppose I _do_ want to see Shinra in complete and utter misery..." she said in a deadpan voice, tilting her head a little while her eyes darkened. This being the first time he had witnessed something akin to malice from her, he felt rather odd. But it was at the very least better than that ever-present smile that seemed to possess her at all times.

"Why?" he demanded. "...They've done bad things, including killing innocent people. And then there's all the people who've been used for experiments..." she said.

Sephiroth's expression darkened.

"And... Actually, I suppose I'm one of the latter," Mika added and flashed a very small smile. "Your eyes have no signs of Mako," he stated. Was she another fool _wishing _that she was an experiment? At his words, her head lowered a little.

"...The scientists injected some Jenova cells into my arm, but I got out before they shut me into one of those Mako things. The cells still spread, though," she said, sounding as if she was talking about a particularly disgusting dead fly she'd had to remove at some point in the distant past. She mumbled something about having been thrown out, but Sephiroth didn't bother paying attention once her annoying smile returned.

"Jenova... I know of her," he muttered, more to himself than her. Mika turned to him, eyes wide. "You're an experiment too? Then do you want to destroy reactors to get revenge on Shinra?" she asked eagerly, as if she were a fairy-tale heroine and he were but a humble servant brought for good measure.

"... I wish for nothing less than to annihilate them," he said, his voice dark. After a short silence, Mika replied with a quiet 'hm'.

The two remained silent until they arrived at the shore, which Sephiroth did not at all mind. To their disappointment there were no boats to be seen, so while Mika sat down in the sand and huffed in frustration, Sephiroth waded into the waves until the water reached his knees. After raising one hand in front of him - with a well hidden materia - it did not take long before a lone water fiend appeared, thinking of Sephiroth as an easy prey. It remained still under the surface, and Mika remained oblivious. She sat in the sand, facing away from him as if thinking.

Sephiroth used the magic of the materia he held, aiming for the fiend. The large water creature was similar to the Zolom – only weaker – and succumbed to his magic in no time at all. Using the Manipulation spell, Sephiroth made the fiend come as close as possible, until its head rested on the sandy beach. The fiend let out a low, but fierce growl, and Mika jerked around and got to her feet, stumbling, staring at the worm-like snake creature. It didn't move, nor did it pay her any heed.

As she noticed the gleaming materia Sephiroth held, her surprised expression was exchanged with one of understanding.

"You manipulated it! ...Are we going to hitchhike with it?" she asked, looking at the fiend with suspicion. Instead of answering, Sephiroth jumped swiftly from the ground and up to the head of the large fiend. There, he sat down. When Mika did not move, he made the fiend turn back into the water.

"Hey, hey-_hey!_" she exclaimed, and he heard her chase the water fiend as it retreated. He cocked his head to one side and watched her climb all the way from the back to the head of the fiend, seemingly with more than just a little difficulty, to where he sat. Her climbing was just as bad as her running. If not worse. Oblivious, she sat down next to him.

"Horrible," he muttered, commenting her climbing. She did not appear to understand, which did not at all surprise him.

"So... You want food?" she asked, smiling. Without turning to her, Sephiroth reached out an open, gloved hand. As he felt her place the food in it, he made the giant water worm speed up. It started swimming faster, and lowered until only its head was above the surface, keeping them more or less dry. Without it being of any particular consequence, he noted that the sandwich was still a little warm. That made it a lot better than the ones he'd had yesterday. Still, he had tasted better.

But it would simply have to do for now.

* * *

Mika leaned back, supporting herself with her hands. The breeze tickled her skin and made her dark brown hair fly everywhere. The salty smell of the cold, dark ocean was quite relaxing, since she was a lot more used to the polluted air in Midgar. The smell of Sephiroth's sandwich made her hungry, though. Just as she was about to find her own food, she caught a glimpse of something. She tilted her head slightly and looked behind Smith's back.

From under his cloak, a long sword was just barely visible. It wasn't the same sword he had taken in Kalm; this one seemed longer. She had only caught an extremely small glimpse of it, but it reminded her of the sword that the infamous Sephiroth had carried; the one only _he_ could handle. She shivered slightly.

Sephiroth was _dead._

But that didn't change the fact that she had always looked up to the man. At least until he found out what Shinra had done to him. After he found out about Jenova, he had changed completely.

When she was younger, and because she had wanted to know why he changed, she had been determined to find out more about the experiments made on him. Back when she was in Shinra being experimented on, together with a bunch of others, she had even had a few opportunities to skim through the countless documents the scientists kept. One by one she read through them, and she tried reading every time the scientists turned away for more than just a couple of minutes. Some were about Sephiroth, while others were about the rest of the experiments. Most of the ones about Sephiroth spoke of him as 'the first and only successful experiment' and said his mother was Jenova. Usually, the reason reports about him were spread all about, was that the scientists wanted to use the papers to compare Sephiroth with newer experiments, she gathered. But one old file, the oldest she had ever read while in Shinra's labs, claimed his actual mother was a woman named Lucrecia, and that his father was the scientist Hojo. It was either a prank or joke, or it was a report that no one was supposed to see. According to it Lucrecia was his real mother, but when Sephiroth was still in her womb Hojo injected Jenova's cells into him. His mother was prohibited from seeing Sephiroth after he was born. That made it somehow credible, so Mika had memorized it just in case.

She blinked as she noticed Smith's arm in front of her. For a moment she had no idea what to do, but then she realized that he wanted more food. After finding a sandwich and handing it to him, she took one for herself as well. There were still some left in the bag, as she had decided to make some extra ones – that way, perhaps Smith would let her come with him. They could cooperate. After all, both of them were aiming to destroy the reactors.

Mika observed as the cloaked man brought the food to his mouth, which was hidden by the jet black hood of the cloak he wore. Then she lowered her gaze to his long boots. They were similar to the ones Sephiroth used to have. She shook her head once, telling herself that it was just a coincidence, and started eating her sandwich.

Perhaps Smith was a huge fan of Sephiroth.

* * *

After he was done eating, Sephiroth made the water fiend speed up even more. He was glad they hadn't found a boat – that would have left them with no other way to cross the ocean than _rowing. _By using the fiend, they saved precious time and energy.

He glanced to see if Mika was still there, or if she had fallen off as a result of the increased speed. She was still there, frowning and narrowing her eyes as the wind made her hair blow around. Stray strands of hair occasionally made their way into her brown-specked eyes. She appeared to be deep in thought. Pondering her earlier words, he wondered whether the Jenova cells she had been injected with were functional or not. Was Mika capable of fighting in a way that resembled that of his? Or was she as bad at lengthy fights as she was at running? If the latter was the case, it would not come as a surprise.

Both of them sat in silence, thinking while they approached the island. Mika shifted every now and then and Sephiroth occasionally brought his free hand up to his hood to hold onto it when the wind became too strong. It did not take long before they arrived at their destination. Sephiroth made the worm lower its head and jumped down, shortly followed by Mika, who stumbled and fell. Absently stopping the Manipulate spell, he watched the worm fiend hurry back into the waves and dive into the dark sea.

Knowing they still had a way to go, he turned and stalked off into the small forest that separated the beach from Mideel. He did not bother to check if Mika followed him – he doubted she would stay behind at the beach. And, as he had predicted, she jogged after him.

And continued _past_ him.

Sephiroth immediately quickened his pace. If she arrived in Mideel before him, she would ruin everything. His plan was to take care of the reactor, then leave her behind to take the blame – he could not let her ruin his plans before they had even started. As soon as he caught up with her, she looked over her shoulder and grinned, then increased her speed to get away from him again. What was she doing? Annoyed, Sephiroth came to a halt. Closing his eyes, he used his senses to locate her as she ran through the forest ahead. She kept running until she noticed he was no longer trailing behind her. Then he rose from the ground, hovering above it, and let himself soar over to where Mika was.

The reason he had not done this before was obviously because he wanted to avoid being seen. But it would be safe as long as he stayed in the forest, among the trees.

* * *

Breathing heavily, Mika scanned the surroundings for Smith. He was nowhere to be seen, and she vaguely wondered if she had managed to outrun him. That would be quite a feat. If she wanted to, she could even brag about it in front of him when he came around again.

"... Are you in a rush?" a deep, dark voice asked snidely, and she jerked around. Smith was _right_ in front of her, and she quickly stepped away. Blinking several times, she stared unbelievingly at the man, her eyes wide. How did he get past her without her noticing?

"How did you pass me? I... I ran as fast I could!" she said, breathing.

"Running is hopeless. It will only draw out one's suffering," he muttered, mocking her.

"But... _You_ aren't even tired!" she said, thinking that was quite unfair. She was exhausted.

As if her words had never reached his ears, Smith turned away and started walking. "_I train,_" he said in a way that sounded very much like 'I train, you do most certainly not, and that is not hard to see at all'. Mika's eyes narrowed to slits. Then, as if recalling something, he slowed down and stopped.

"Besides, my Jenova cells work perfectly," he added.

...Was _that_ why he didn't get tired? "My Jenova cells work too, thank-you-very-_much!_" she countered matter-of-factly. For some long moments they just stood there, both reluctant to say anything.

"_Hn_," Mika huffed and brought out a bottle of water from the small food bag that she had attached to her belt. When he heard her drink from it – gulping down water – Smith glanced over his shoulder. She stopped drinking, wondering if he'd had anything to drink lately. Not that it bothered her. She waved the hand holding the bottle.

"Sorry. This is the only bottle I have," she muttered. If he _wanted_ to, he was free to drink from it. But she doubted he would, though, because he turned away and started walking again. Mika sighed silently as she put her bottle back in the small bag holding the food and followed Smith. They would soon get to Mideel, and when they did, she wanted to be ready.

Still, this Smith guy was suspicious. Back at the Chocobo Ranch, he had asked for Cloud... Perhaps they knew each other. Cloud had once been in Shinra, right? And he said that his Jenova cells were functional. Could he be a Shinra experiment? Or a Turk, or perhaps even a Soldier member? From what she had seen, he was strong enough to take on both of them in a fight. A mental picture of the partly hidden sword she had seen under his cloak appeared in her mind and she frowned. Smith couldn't be Sephiroth – Sephiroth was killed by Cloud.

Even so, when she glanced up at the man walking in front of her, she couldn't help but notice that his height was similar to Sephiroth's. He had broad shoulders, and his gloves and boots were similar as well.

This guy...

Could he be...

Could it be that he was...

... An _extreme_ Sephiroth fan, aiming to become 100% like him? A Sephiroth-aholic? ...Yes, that had to be it. At least it calmed her down somewhat.

"Say, how are we going to break the Mideel Mako reactor?" she asked him, walking behind him.

"Leave it to me," he said in a monotone voice, daring her to say otherwise, so she didn't reply. If he really was a huge Sephiroth fan, then he would probably destroy other things than just the reactor. What if the villagers of Mideel got hurt in the process?

* * *

Sephiroth thought through his options. He had different materias, including both elemental magic and summons, and a few useful items. Then he had his swords. To avoid detection he would, of course, only use the Mako blade. After finding the heart of the reactor, it would be simple to destroy it. If he didn't want to waste time going into the reactor, he could break it from outside with a summon materia. Then again, that would probably cause quite a racket. But he would escape easily, and he could leave Mika behind to take the blame. That is, unless she managed to escape as well... If such a thing happened, he _could _use her as a decoy at the _next _reactor. The problem was if they would believe her when she said she hadn't done anything. What if she blamed him, the cloaked _'Mr. Smith'_, and they believed her?

He frowned. A sneak attack would be better. Or perhaps he could make Mika try to break the reactor all by herself? That way, he would have nothing at all to do with it if they caught her. Also, she had already taken out the reactors in Midgar, so why would they believe anything she said to protect herself?

"Can we do it together? I mean, I plant a bomb and you keep watch and tell me if someone shows up?" Mika asked, and Sephiroth turned his head halfway to her without replying, both of them still walking. "Eh, or perhaps... Or perhaps _I _can keep watch while you take care of the reactor?" she suggested.

"Whichever is fine. Its destruction is inevitable either way. We will meet at the reactor," he said. She nodded slowly.

Right after he uttered those words, they arrived at the gates of Mideel. In the village, palms and trees hung over the houses and made their way around the wooden buildings. Most of the things were green or brown, and cooperated with the nature – some of the larger palms even went _through _the tree huts – with the exception of the reactor, which was all metal. Mika jogged into the town in front of her, looking rather sloppy. It wasn't as bad as her manly walking or hunched running, but it was still a sight to behold. She was already getting tired. Sephiroth wondered if it had anything to do with the unfinished experiments Shinra had made on her, but doubted it.

He did not follow her. Instead, he made his way around the village in order to remain unseen by the inhabitants. His swift strides made it easy for him to get to the reactor before Mika, and once he was there he stopped and waited, watching Mika as she increased her speed to get to the reactor. She was getting closer by the second, and her speed was all right, despite her failing movements. From what he could tell from his position, she seemed nervous, yet determined (to describe it quite precisely, she looked terrified, but forced herself to keep going). Most of all, however, she simply looked worn out. If she would just learn some techniques, her endurance could improve drastically.

Once at his side, she stopped dead.

"Holy macaroni... My stamina has... left... me..." she heaved while supporting herself with her hands on her knees. Strictly speaking, there was no need for her to tell him that her stamina was failing her – it was already very clear. Sephiroth smirked, remembering Zack Fair saying something similar after the first training session for the 2nd Class Soldiers. Zack and himself (Sephiroth was the only 1st Class Soldier present, as the training instructor) were the only two who completed the session without collapsing.

The inhabitants of the small town had barely even inclined their heads to glance at Mika as she passed. They were probably used to odd-looking tourists whose gaits resembled that of fierce cows on the run – only Mika had no camera to suit the tourist role _completely_. At least none of the villagers had noticed _him_. And from what he could tell, there were no guards inside at all.

_How naïve._

* * *

Before Mika could do anything else, Smith disappeared into the shadows of the building, leaving her behind. Still tired, she decided to stay where she was. If the reactor had guards, said guards were not here at the moment. They were probably relaxing somewhere in the village.

Then shrill, yet distant cries and roars sounded from the depths of the reactor. Mika looked up sharply when she heard the noise, and stepped back until she was standing on the top of the stairs outside. _A summon?_ Though she could not see the summon (or summon_s_), she could feel the highly compressed energy flowing from the heart of the metal building. Smith was able to use a summon that was this strong? For a short moment she was torn between her worry for Smith and her worry for the people in the village. The latter eventually got the best of her and she searched the walls near the entrance door. There were some light switches and a fire alarm. If she turned on the alarm, would people get away safely?

...It was worth a try.

With slight hesitation she raised her hand and pressed the fire alarm button. It instantly responded and let out a deafening noise, and the entire inside of the reactor was bathed in rotating, blinking red lights. Mika held her ears and turned to look outside to see if the people were reacting. They just stood there for a while, watching the reactor, but when some Shinra guards came and pushed them out of the way and urged them to get out of there, Mika was satisfied. She just hoped none of the guards would come back.

Before she could make up her mind and decide what to do next, a scorching heat surrounded her and she remembered _she _was still _at the reactor_. Still feeling the pressure and energy of Smith's summon behind her, she nearly stumbled down the stairs, which by the way seemed mockingly steep all of a sudden . Once she was in the middle of the village, though, she stopped and turned around to watch the reactor.

At the very moment of her stop-and-turn, it exploded.

Massive, dark layers of smoke erupted from the gray building and fire licked its way up the thin metal walls, which either curled like paper or burned into ashes. It was unbearably warm - to the point that her vision blurred, and Mika covered her face with an arm as she stepped backwards. A couple of smaller explosions followed, and by the time they stopped completely, it was very hard to imagine that the hole in the ground had been a Mako reactor only minutes before. Miraculously, the village was left undamaged – unless she counted in the ashes falling from the sky. Only the actual reactor was on fire; Mika supposed they should thank yesterday's rain for the fact that the fire wasn't spreading. Not even the trees were affected.

But what about the cloaked man? Mika searched the scenery for Smith, unable to find him. Was he, by any chance, killed in the explosion?

"...You should leave, unless you'd rather be arrested," a voice warned, nearly mockingly, and she jerked around to face Smith, who was seemingly oblivious to the scorching hot fire he had caused.

* * *

**R.R.**

At least there are no guards nearby... Yet.


	5. Mideel

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me at all.

Even Sephiroth needs food...

* * *

**Mideel - Flight**

* * *

"...You should leave unless you wish to be arrested," Sephiroth said and watched Mika turn to him in surprise. None of the villagers, nor guards had seen him. The only person they had seen was _her_. Her shocked look changed and she nodded once. Now looking worried instead, she glanced over her shoulder to look at the burning remains of the reactor, and then ran out of the village and into the forest. Sephiroth followed, thinking she would lead them away from wherever the villagers and the guards had disappeared to – after all, he had not seen them.  
Upon hearing voices, though, Mika came to a sudden stop and looked around, alert.

"That woman can't have gone far! Find her!" they heard. Steps approached, and in a swift movement Sephiroth concealed his presence. Mika hid as well, albeit with slight difficulties. After the guards passed, the two of them continued their flight from the scene of the crime, keeping their ears and eyes open in case other guards happened to come their way. Soon they were too far away from the village for any of the guards to be nearby. Sephiroth halted and Mika leaned against a tree not too far away. Though she was breathing loudly after their runaway, she had not once slowed down, not before now.

Sephiroth found the fact that she was still there useful in a way, yet also annoying. The guards obviously thought she was responsible for what happened with the reactor and no one knew that _he_ had even been there. That was how things should be. Even so, he did not like to hang around her. Nor did Jenova.

The northern shoreline was too close to Mideel and the guards, so they could not return to the main continent from there. He guessed the place was already guarded. Even the mainland would be filled with Shinra employees soon, as the Mideel guards would surely contact Shinra. He and Mika would have to continue going west and cross the sea from there. Hopefully there would be no soldiers or Shinra workers waiting for them once they arrived there. Not that they would pose a threat – it would be easy to kill them if they were there – but if they _saw_ him, he could be recognized, even with the cloak and hood. That was something he could not risk.

It would have been much easier without Mika. Though she was a good decoy, it would have been simpler for him to travel alone. However, if he left her behind, Shinra would find her and she would most likely tell them that he was the one to blame. Thinking back, he should have let _her _take out the reactor, then he should have left while she was busy working. Now, he _could_ kill her, but once Shinra found the body, the matter would strike them as even more suspicious...

For now, she would just have to tag along.

His train of thought was interrupted by movement as Mika moved to stand right in front of him. She looked into the dark shadows of his long, black hood expectantly, as if waiting for orders, albeit with one hand resting on her hip. If he guessed correctly, he would say there was a very faint sign of respect in her eyes as she looked at him – unless it was something else, like...

...wary curiousness.

"...We shall go east," he said in a low, silent voice. She glanced in said direction, no longer breathing as loudly. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at that. To him, she appeared to get tired very easily, but if he were to judge only from this escape of theirs, she also _recovered_ quickly. At least that meant she was not completely and utterly incompetent. Even so, he supposed he should expect more than just one break when they started running again.

This time Mika was the first one to start running, with Sephiroth right behind her. While running through the increasingly dark forest, the only things they saw were tall, old trees, plants and boulders or small cliffs every now and then. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of glowing eyes belonging to fiends, all hiding behind the leafy bushes and in the shadows. He knew these fiends were stronger than the ones they had encountered earlier – stronger by far – but none of them would pose a threat to him. That was how it had always been, and how it would always be. By the time they exited the dark forest and adjusted to the strong afternoon daylight, Mika had slowed down quite a bit, but she was still running.

Sephiroth, having paced behind her until now, increased his speed and settled next to her. She glanced in his direction, her cheeks a little red from running as far as she had. He vaguely wondered why she had not stopped yet. Was she trying to prove herself?

* * *

Mika looked at Smith, who now ran next to her. He had yet to become tired at all, or at least so it seemed. They kept running across the plains, her breath becoming more ragged by the minute. Every time he turned to her (which wasn't that often at all, thankfully), she held her breath and smiled as if all was well, and then started heaving again when he turned forward. As if he couldn't _hear _her.

Even though they passed fiend by fiend, they were left in peace. The monsters were not interested in the two humans running by; at most, they only gazed lazily at them when they trotted past.

When Mika finally gave in to her exhaustion, she stumbled forward slightly and stopped. She heard her own loud breathing and let herself fall to the ground, closing her eyes in the process. A minute or two would be enough for her to recover a little, that was all she needed. With a fumbling hand, she searched for her water bottle in the small lunch bag that she had attached to her belt. After finding it, she opened her mouth and let the water pour down into her throat, welcoming the cold, refreshing feeling. Satisfied, she put the bottle on the ground next to her.

"...Sorry for stopping..." she said while looking up into the air – or more accurately: the dark, heavy clouds above – hoping Smith hadn't left her behind and continued without her. If that was the case, she was talking to nobody and would soon be assaulted by fiends. So when she got no reply, she frowned and hoisted herself up on her shoulders.

There he was, sitting on a small ledge not too far away, drinking water from a bottle. Where did he get that from? Mika looked down to check on her own bottle of water only to find it missing and narrowed her eyes. He had taken her water without asking? And without her noticing? Still, it probably couldn't be helped; if she guessed right, he hadn't had anything to drink all day. And that fire back in Mideel couldn't have helped much, either. Dehydration was a dangerous thing. Mika lay back down, staring lazily at the sky in the same manner as the fiends stared at her and Smith. Some even darker clouds were approaching from the east – from where they were heading. Should she tell Smith about it? When she glanced at him, she found that he, too, was watching the dark clouds. Somehow, that wasn't awfully surprising.

He rose to his feet and threw the empty bottle of water at her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, but was ignored. Hurriedly putting the the bottle in the small bag attached to her belt, she got to her feet and followed him as he once again started running. His way of running was more like jogging, though, as he was obviously holding back because she was slower than him. Owing to this she willed herself to go slightly faster. Then, in the corner of an eye, she saw something large and yellow and turned to see...

A chocobo.

_...No._

She would _never_ forget how her muscles felt after the last time she rode a chocobo. Thinking back to her previous encounter with a chocobo, it would _not _be an understatement of her to claim that her ass had felt like a sapless bean bag left behind in an oven with hot scissors. To her great horror, Smith observed the chocobo as well. And – to her even _greater_ horror – it started following them.

"_No! _I'll be just fine without it!" Mika shouted as Smith's hood moved from her to the chocobo. Her remark only made him look back at her. As if mocking Mika, the chocobo chirped happily and flapped its wings, still running alongside them.

* * *

Scowling, Sephiroth dropped the thought of making Mika ride the chocobo as he remembered his plans of 'taking things calmly' to maintain his current level of energy. He was not planning to tire himself again by just _running._ Upon hearing the chocobo utter a cry, however, he slowed down. Mika kept running – even faster now, despite her ragged breath. Making sure she didn't look, he pulled his hood back just enough for the chocobo to see his burning jade gaze. It stopped dead in its tracks, staring at him.

He did not possess the ability of reading the expressions of chocobos, but he could tell that it was intimidated. In the past, mostly while he was in Soldier, people had told him that his eyes seemed to 'burn'. Few of them had been capable of looking into his eyes for more than some seconds at a time, and especially so when he stared back. The chocobo stepped away and Sephiroth pulled his hood back to hide his face again. Then the large bird jerked around and dashed away as fast it could. After the small problem was taken care of, he once again ran forward, quickly catching up with Mika. She was still running fast, thinking the chocobo was still following them.

Sephiroth did not at all intend to tell her that it did not.

After yet an amount of time had passed (it was now early evening, and the sky was darkening fast), they arrived at the eastern shore of the great island. From here, Sephiroth planned to go to the next reactor, which was positioned right outside of Costa del Sol. The fastest way to get there was to cross the ocean and get back to the main continent in the north, then go to Junon and get on a boat. With this temporary plan building in his mind, he walked out into the waves. He could have flown all the way there, but once again he did not want to risk being spotted. It did not take long before a sea fiend appeared before him. This one was different from the previous monster; it did not resemble a giant worm or a snake, but rather a giant tortoise. It stared at him with small, beady eyes as he used Manipulate to take control of it. The creature let out a low growl, stifled by the water, but other than that it remained still. Mika climbed on and lay down on its shell-covered back. Sephiroth followed and made the fiend turn around and swim north towards the mainland.

Why Mika still bothered to tag along with him was slightly hard for him to reason. He had not exactly been 'kind and caring', nor was he going to be in the future. It was true that he had planned to let her take the blame for what happened in Mideel, yes, but now that they had both escaped, the future was a little more uncertain. If she decided on her own that she wanted to come with him farther than Junon, however, he would not stop her. He could still use her to confuse Shinra. They would not even offer Sephiroth a thought when another reactor blew up – they would think she did it. He could use her as a scapegoat.

But the security would undoubtedly be better the next time.

As they made their way across the ocean, the fiend easily breaking through the increasingly large waves, the weather took a turn for the worse. The wind was speeding up, and deep rumbles of thunder followed shortly after the bright flashes of lightning in the distance. It had yet to become a full storm, though, and it still did not rain. But at this rate, they would not get back to the main continent before the storm-to-come was upon them. At least not by using the fiend.

Sephiroth, still calm, focused on the shore up north – at first glance, it appeared to be close by, but that was not the case; it was far away. He could see small spots over there, spots moving along the shore, some big and others small. Narrowing his eyes to see better, Sephiroth frowned.

"Shinra..." he muttered, barely audible. In the corner of an eye he saw Mika turn to him.

"Shinra?" she asked, and looked in the same direction as him. She could obviously not see them; he himself could only see them because of his active Jenova cells and his improved senses.

He made the fiend turn around and swim away from the Shinra people waiting for them. They could not go north, and if they went back south or to the east they would end up too close to Mideel. The only remaining option was to continue _west_ for the time being. Going west did not only mean to venture straight into the storm, but it also meant going to the island holding the ruins of the Temple of the Ancients.

_How... nostalgic._

The wind quickly increased in strength, which led to the wave height growing at the same time. In the beginning only a few droplets of water fell, but unfathomably soon, heavy rain came pouring down, making it slippery and hard to hold on to the fiend. It tried to break free from the Manipulate spell more than once, but Sephiroth prevented it from doing so and forced it to keep going. He held onto his hood with the hand holding the Manipulation materia, while his other hand had grabbed the edge of the fiend's tortoise shell. Mika did likewise, only with both hands holding on to the shell tightly. She did not exactly look pleased and content.

If he were to fall off – which he would not – he would fly right above the water surface and make his way to the island. If he flew too high, the lightning could hit him. Not that it mattered; that would not damage him much, but he could also risk being spotted by the Shinra workers who had been smart enough to bring binoculars. However, if _Mika_ fell off, there was not much he could – or _would _– do. If she died, Shinra would most likely never find her. As for himself... He could manage alone. Therefore, right now, Mika should take care of herself on her own, too.

The falling rain drops grew in size, resembling falling marble balls rather than droplets, not stopping as they approached the island. As yet another lightning sliced the air above them, shortly followed by thunder, the fiend let out a loud, husky roar. Despite the rough weather, Sephiroth maintained his composure. Mika on the other hand, held onto the wet and slippery shell as if her life depended on it. And perhaps it did. Her features betrayed her apprehension now, and her eyes were fixed on the island. It was very close, looking ghostly and abandoned under the mist. The lone mountain on the island, dark and uninviting, loomed above fog hovered above and below the old trees, as if waiting for someone to wander into it and never find the way out.

As another lightning flashed above them, the fiend let out a final roar and dove down, finally breaking free from the spell that had trapped it. Though Sephiroth's spells were strong, the Manipulate spell would only last for a certain amount of time. Mika let go and huffed as the cold water enveloped her. She started swimming to the shore, which was – luckily for her – not too far away. She remained oblivious to Sephiroth, who levitated in the air behind her. Knowing that he could not pass her (since if he did, she would see him flying), he waited for her to get to the beach before landing. The black, long cloak stuck to his arms and shoulders and weighed him down.

They were both soaked; Sephiroth because of the rain, and Mika as a result of her swim. She shivered vigorously, cold and tired, and shook her arms and legs in a futile attempt to get rid of the water that had soaked her clothes. As if to check if he was there, she turned around.

"Ugh... Let's go somewhere else... Somewhere dry," she said, her voice trembling as she hugged herself to get a little warmer.

"...Hm," was his silent reply, and then he slowly strode towards the forest to stand under the closest tree. She staggered over to him and stood with her back against the tree trunk.  
They remained still there, watching in silence as the storm ravaged everything it came upon. The branches above them were shaken by the wind every now and then, which made water fall down and soak them even more. The old, thick trees were squeaking in the wind, which was howling quietly behind them in the otherwise quiet forest. Sephiroth was somehow able to dodge most of the big droplets falling from the tree, but Mika was not as lucky...

"I'm _going!_" she exclaimed and swaggered into the forest with a displeased frown on her face. The scene was, in a way, quite entertaining.

It only added to Sephiroth's amusement when she jerked around and walked back to him when she heard the cry of a fiend.

"You're _coming!_" she added, her face red in embarrassment, despite the cold weather. He did not move, determined not to be ordered around. Mika lowered her head and sighed in instant defeat.

"...Please? I've still got some food..." she muttered as an afterthought. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. Was she, by any chance, trying to bribe him? Yet, even if she was, the very moment he heard her mention the f-word, he immediately felt his hunger emerge and alert him to its existence. A long time had passed since they were in Mideel. At the moment, it was late evening. Reluctantly, he walked forward to where Mika was. The small bag attached to her belt looked rather wet.

"Is the food wet?" he asked, scowling, and Mika blinked, holding one hand on the small bag.  
"No. It's waterproof," she assured him.

"Say, why don't we make a fire to warm and dry ourselves? We can even warm the food. The Shinra people will just think its a normal fire caused by the lightning or something. They won't suspect a thing," she suggested.

"...Where do you suggest we find _dry_ wood, then?" Sephiroth mocked, and Mika flashed a glare.

"I trust you, the _mighty_ bonfire-Smith, to use your _mighty_ magic to create a _mighty_ fire that is _mighty_ enough to put even wet wood on fire," she counter-mocked. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at her not-so-appealing use of words.

"...If you, the unworthy Mika, gather said wood, and if you find a suitable place for the previously mentioned fire, I _may _aid you with my _tools of evil_, as you so indirectly indicated," he countered, much quieter and a lot darker. Her name sounded strange when he said it, and he got a vague feeling of having said it the wrong way. Soon he brushed that thought away, though, as that was not at all likely. Mika flashed him a satisfied smirk

* * *

The cloaked man had said her name for the first time, which made Mika somewhat pleased. Perhaps she was getting on his good side. If she ignored the fact that he had included the words 'unworthy' and 'evil tools', that sentence was quite favorable. She had called him 'Smith' for a long time, though, and wished he would tell her his name. Asking him now would be a bad idea, though, as she had asked for two favors in less than two minutes. She'd have to remember to ask him later, though.

At the moment, all she had to do was to find wood by herself. Then they would have to find a suitable place for a fire. Satisfied for the time being, she marched into the forest, her steps loud and watery due to her wet clothes. Smith, on the other hand, moved beside her soundlessly. Perhaps she could ask him to teach her one of his tricks, so she would act less clumsy in his _mighty_ presence. But for now, they had to find wood for a fire, as well as somewhere safe to stay. While listening to the fading storm as it passed above them, they walked deeper and deeper into the forest, moving below the increasingly old trees. The fog made it somewhat hard for Mika to see too far ahead, and she settled behind Smith, trusting him to find the safest path. He walked in front of her in silence. His steps were steady, and she looked up at the back of his hood.

His height was quite impressive. Because his shoulders were broad, and because she didn't want to get caught up in his cloak, she was forced to walk off the path when she wanted to look past him. Judging from what she had seen up until now, he seemed very strong. Unnaturally strong, even. Her eyes lowered to the edge of his long, black cloak as she remembered the thin sword she had seen earlier. Had she perhaps imagined that...? The more she thought of it, the more unlikely and dream-like it all seemed. The cloak billowed in the faint wind under the trees, already _damp _rather than wet, but there were no signs of any sword hidden beneath it. She could tell he still had the Mako blade, though, because it gave off an eerie glow that showed though the black, thin material.

Glancing away from him and to the sides, she heard the quiet growls of fiends. They seemed reluctant to come out, though, and remained still in the shadows, observing the two of them as they passed. Every now and then she spotted some old, small branches on the ground and picked them up while walking. Most of them were wet from the rain, but they would have to do. For the fire to last through the night, she would need to find some more.

Her hazel gaze jumped back and forth at the ground, busy searching for wood, when Smith suddenly stopped. She bumped into him from behind and dropped the wood.

"So-Sorry!" she exclaimed, taken aback by this sudden stop. She bent down and quickly picked up the wood she had collected so far, then rose to her feet again. Stepping to the side to look past him, her jaw dropped slightly at what she saw.

An old bridge hung over a disturbingly deep, dark gorge. On the other side there were remains and ruins of an ancient temple-like structure made of pale, brown stones. The area surrounding the ruins was completely quiet and from what Mika could tell, there were no fiends nearby. It wasn't raining there either, which made her narrow her eyes. When she turned around, it was still raining behind her, but it was no rain around the ruin itself. Smith crossed the squeaking bridge calmly, his gaze fixed on the old, broken temple.

* * *

**R.R.**

Whoa! The temple of the Ancients, I presume?  
...I'm working my (-insert body part of choice here-) off with this story... Therefore, I would love to hear your opinions...  
(–super-extreme-teary-puppy-eyes-of-doom–deluxe-)


	6. Temple of the Ancients

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy...

Deh title is lying!1!1! ...  
And Mika's personality IS supposed to be that way.

* * *

**Temple of the Ancients - Revelation**

* * *

Sephiroth walked across the bridge slowly, hearing it creak loudly every time he stepped. His eyes were fixed on the ruins unfolding before him and he remembered the last time he had been there. Using the power granted to him by Jenova, he had forced Cloud to hand over the Black Materia – the materia that had helped him summon Meteor. He did not have it now, however. If he was not mistaken, the Black Materia was now somewhere in the Northern Crater, hopefully close to where he had unwillingly left it. He would find it when he got there.

After crossing the old bridge, he gazed at the hole in the ground from inside his hood. It did, indeed, bring back memories. Where the temple had once stood, there was now a ragged hole, filled with ferns and other plants, as well as scattered stones that had once been the walls of the ancient building. But though he remembered he had been quite pleased back then, when Cloud handed over the materia, he could not quite recall _why_ he had been pleased. He would finally be able to summon Meteor, yes, but there was something else...

"Smith?" a very shaky, yet hushed voice called out to him, and he turned to see Mika. She was currently crossing the bridge, albeit not entirely without difficulties. The bridge shook and creaked as she crossed it, step by step. The small, wet branches were still in her arms, leaving no free hands for her to use to maintain her balance. Her eyes were not focused on the bridge, but rather fixed on the gorge below her. Calmly observing her as she approached him, he waited for her to bring the wood she had brought – and he could not suppress the amusement that tickled his mind when watching her struggle. When she finally stepped onto firm ground, she let out a shivering and extremely relieved sigh, which only added to the entertaining scene.

"You could've helped me!" she complained and dropped the wood and branches a fair distance from the bridge – and the gorge.  
"...Crossing a bridge is usually a simple task. How should I _help _you?" he inquired in a mock voice while finding a Fire materia.

"I dunno... How about flying over to me and carry me to safety?" Mika deadpanned. At this, Sephiroth was not too amused.

"You know, like Sephiroth," she added, oblivious to his quickly worsening mood. Sighing to stay calm, he used his materia to start a small fire. The twigs and small branches Mika had found easily ignited. He sat down on the opposite side of Mika, observing her over the fire.

"What is Sephiroth to you?" he asked her. Mika glanced in his direction, and then frowned s little in concentration, thinking.  
"He... was a person I looked up to..." she said, and held her hands close to the warming flames.

"Was?" he inquired, already able to guess the answer.  
"...When he found out about the things Shinra had done to him, he turned against everyone... So I found it hard to keep on looking up to him," she mumbled, as if she was not entirely sure if what she said was right or not.

"Oh, well," she said, turning more cheerful on purpose, to lighten the mood. "Brooding over things that happened in the past will do no good," she added with content determination, then detached the small bag from her belt. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed as he briefly pondered her words. From the bag, she got two sandwiches.

* * *

Holding the two sandwiches, Mika wondered which one Smith would like the best. They were pretty much alike, only one of them was slightly larger. She handed him the biggest one over the fire.

"Here. I was going to warm them over the fire, but I'm so hungry I'll eat mine cold..." she said, giving a short laugh. Upon handing him the food, she glanced up just in time to see a flicker of green from inside his hood. It was gone before she could comprehend what had happened. Was that his eyes? ...Or was it just an illusion caused by the fire? Mika shook her head and told herself it was the latter. Just to make sure, she glanced at his hood again.

Only black shadows.

Sighing in a slightly disappointed manner, her gaze settled on her sandwich instead. She was good at making sandwiches, but that was because sandwiches were the only thing she made at all. Perhaps she should try something different next time. Who knew, perhaps burned food would taste good if she added a little bit of good will. For now Mika didn't want to waste time finding a way to warm her sandwich and just ate it the way it was. It disappeared fast, but not as fast as Smith's. Her eyes once again rose to Smith and his hood. His head was lowered and he appeared to be watching the fire. She kept watching him, just in case she would see a flicker of bright green again. Or was it blue? She hadn't really seen it all that well. Perhaps it had been a mix between the two. Like Sephiroth's.

Long seconds passed and after a while, minutes as well. Although Mika shifted every now and then – and removed her jacket and put it next to the fire – Smith didn't move even once. He had been like this before; it was like he was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, curious.

No reply.  
"Are you planning the next reactor demolition...?" she asked again after a while, but he remained silent. Perhaps he didn't like being questioned about things.

He didn't even stir. She could swear there was a chilly wind constantly blowing around them, because she was cold, but not even the jet black cloak he adorned, billowed the slightest.  
"...You think too much," she said quietly and lay down next to the fire, facing the warm flames. In the corner of an eye, she saw him glance at her.

"Think too much?" he repeated, and she looked up at him.  
"How is that bad?" he asked, sounding annoyed. Mika frowned.

"Uh... I don't know... I can't sleep if I think too much, but that's just me," she admitted.

* * *

Sephiroth observed Mika as she closed her eyes. Was _that_ why she had not slept? Because she _thought_ too much? It would seem that his suspicion of her deliberately staying awake, were only just that; a suspicion.

"Why do you not use Sleep spells?" he asked. Mika opened her eyes, her cheeks reddening only a little at his question. He wouldn't have noticed if he were not Sephiroth.  
"Haha... Actually, I don't know to use an offensive spell on myself... It works fine with Restore and Haste and all those, but I can't use offensive magic on myself," she muttered, the light shade on her cheeks darkening slightly as she spoke. Hearing her say this was almost more amusing than watching her walk like a man.

Sephiroth smirked, and then he reached a hand into his cloak and found a materia.

"...What are you doing?" she asked while watching him bring out the shining green materia.  
"Do you, by any chance, snore?" he asked. She blinked, shaking her head.

"...Good," he muttered and cast a Sleep spell before she could reply. Her surprised expression soon disappeared as her eyelids closed, slowly covering her hazel eyes as she fell asleep – and her head fell to her coat, which she now rested on.

Feeling more comfortable, Sephiroth pulled down his hood and removed his cloak, which was still a little damp from the rain. His long, silver hair coursed down over his shoulders and his back freely, which felt better than when it was held in place by the cloak – it tended to get annoying when silver locks made their way down his neck and stuck to his back - or to his shoulder plates. Since Sephiroth had not taken off the cloak since before he was outside Midgar, he truly relished when he felt air brush past his ears and weave into his hair. Being concealed and hidden by a mere cloak - and hood - was not something he particularly enjoyed.

After throwing one final glance in the direction of the sleeping Mika, he put the Sleep materia back into his coat. Then he lay down on top of it and closed his eyes.

_...I think too much..?_

Upon remembering Mika's words he frowned. Tomorrow would be a long day. First they had to get off this island and head north without being seen, and then they had to get on a boat from Junon. The new reactor outside of Costa del Sol would be waiting for them.

* * *

Mika woke up with a groan, feeling her back and her neck scream in agony when she moved. Slowly she rose into a sitting position, massaging her neck with one hand. Her tired eyes soon found the fire, which was no longer burning. Black, cold coal was all that was left. Combing her long, dark and messy hair with a hand, she looked around for Smith. She couldn't see him anywhere nearby, at least not where he had been last night.

"Here," she heard, and her head jerked around to see him sitting right next to her. Her wide eyes moved to the object he held in his hand; the empty food bag. Her expression changed into a disappointed one when she remembered that it was empty. The silence was broken as her stomach growled loudly and awkwardly, and she felt her cheeks turn scarlet in embarrassment.  
"...That also happens to be the case with me," she heard Smith mutter, and looked up at the hood that kept his face hidden. She laughed quietly at his words, then struggled to get to her feet.

"So... Where will we get food?" she asked, her voice tired and groggy from a long night. Then she remembered what he had done last night.

"You! You cast Sleep on me!" she exclaimed, pointing at Smith as he rose to his feet. Needless to say, his grace was so flawless that it made her wonder if his cloak was making her see things. If she got her hands on a cloak, would she look just as graceful?  
"But thanks. I needed that," she added before he could say anything in response. When he still didn't reply she looked up at him again, her her hazel gaze focusing on the place within his hood that she thought his eyes were.  
"Thank you," she repeated, and nodded once.

* * *

Mika's words took him slightly aback at first. He had never been thanked in such a manner before. The only reason he had used Sleep was because he did not want her to ask unnecessary questions or talk too much. Besides, he had wanted to sleep – or _rest _– without his hood for once. And now she thanked him for it? He had not known whether to respond or not, and now resolved to simply observe the woman in front of him when she offered a faint smile.

"...Hm," he muttered, and left her, quickly moving away from their 'camp' and over the swaying bridge. Noticing he still held the food bag in his hand, he dropped it into the black abyss below while crossing the bridge. After he stepped onto the ground on the opposite side, he continued into the forest without waiting for Mika to follow him. He heard her struggle over the creaking bridge, stifling some faint cries as she did so. Then he heard her run after him, obviously determined to catch up with him before she lost him. Why did she always follow? Getting attached to somebody whose name was still not known to her was not among the smartest things a person could do.

Dismissing the thought for the time being he turned around to watch the steep, looming mountain in the distance, then looked forward again. If they continued to walk north, they would soon get to the ocean again.

Then he came to a stop – sounds of shifting leaves approached from all sides, but there was no wind. Then he and Mika were surrounded by many small and leaf-like creatures. The fiends approached and surrounded them, some hiding among the leaves and branches above, all ready to attack.  
"...Rilfsak," he muttered. Upon hearing him speak their names, the fiends froze. Mika made some facial expressions that told him she did not particularly like the insect-like leaf fiends. At some point she had brought out her gun. He moved a hand inside his cloak and touched two of his materias; an All materia and a Manipulate materia.

"Rilfsak, _go_," he ordered at the same time as he used the Manipulate on them all. They hissed a little and spun around, and though they tried to fight their way out of the spell, the weak beings soon disappeared to wherever they came from.

They no longer posed a threat. He watched Mika scan the surroundings for whatever she thought was left.

"...Okay, forward," she ordered, and walked forward into the forest. He followed her, but at a distance. Her way of walking once again amused him, as she waved her arms back and forth while walking. At least she followed a vague resemblance of rhythm. As if suddenly realizing how she walked, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. He passed her without slowing down, nor even looking at her, and then she started walking behind him. Sephiroth was tempted to glance over his shoulder to see if she still walked the same way, but resisted it as he could hear her steps were different. His thoughts were put on hold for a moment as he suddenly felt the smell of salty water.

The moment they arrived at the shore Sephiroth stopped, and for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Mika bumped into him from behind.  
He ignored her quiet "sorry, I watched the ground while walking..." and looked up into the air.

"...Are you going to Manipulate a water fiend again?" Mika asked. He kept looking up, watching some large bird fiends that circled above them.  
"No. Shinra will expect us to do that. They most likely have the entire coastline covered. Therefore, we shall be taking advantage of yet another tool, different this time, by changing certain links in my previous plan," he explained in a silent voice, more to himself than her, and just as he finished talking, one of the large bird fiends above dove down in an attempt to attack. It missed, obviously, and Mika watched as he took control of the bird by using his Manipulate materia.

It landed on the beach in a clumsy way and barely regained its balance in time to remain standing. Sephiroth, after watching it suspiciously for some seconds, mounted the winged creature and turned to Mika, who approached hesitantly. The fiend would be visible from below when it was flying, yes, but the people on board would not.

"Where will I sit?" Mika asked.  
"...In front or behind me. That is, unless you want the bird to hold you by its claws," Sephiroth said, watching with something vaguely similar to delight as all the color drained from her face.  
"Uh, never mind..." she said in a whisper and climbed up behind him. He was glad she had decided not to sit in front – her long hair would most likely have ended up blowing all over his face. Her hands grabbed his shoulders and he once again shook his head mentally – he could almost see her stiff face in his mind.

The large bird, not used to having weight on its back, started running along the beach to pick up speed. They ran up a hill nearby and then the winged fiend spread its wings and jumped off the steep cliff, waiting for the wind to catch its wings. While still falling, Sephiroth realized that Mika would obviously be unable to stay on the bird if she only held onto his shoulders. Before he could offer it any more thought, she moved her arms around him instead and held on tight. His muscles tensed, not used to such closeness, and a frown spread across his features. Mika rested her head against his back as the bird jerked up and started flapping its wings. They rose into the cloudy sky slowly, and as the wind strengthened, he grabbed his hood with one hand to keep it from falling off. His other hand held some of the bird's large, reddish black feathers firmly while his legs rested next to its shoulders – in front if its wings – and kept him somewhat steady.

The bird raced forward in mid-air, aiming for the spot in the distance that was the city Junon. It did not take long before they were flying along the shores of the main continent, and far below were cars and people walking around. From the glances Sephiroth caught of them, most of them had Shinra uniforms. They were watching the ocean, waiting for any sign of the escaped woman that was rumored to have blown up the Mako reactors in Mideel and Midgar.

The bird opened its beak, slurping air and flapping its wings faster by the minute. It was already tired, and was losing height.

"Tsch..." Sephiroth muttered, willing the bird to rise. It let out a weary cry and did as it was told, but it did not take long before it once again lost height. They were going down fast.

Sephiroth looked down.

There, right where the bird was about to land, was none other than the arrogant red-head Turk with goggles. The man looked up as he noticed the bird approach, and Sephiroth could barely see the Turk's blue eyes widen a little. He had to do something. Frowning, he used his energy and let some of it flow from him to the bird, hoping to strengthen it enough to make it rise again. He heard something akin to a whimper coming from Mika as he let his energy pour, but did not let that stop him. The bird let out a loud cry and flapped its wings with the newly gained energy. It rose just in time, too, and all Reno the Turk saw was a big, black bird. Just in case, Sephiroth leaned forward over the bird so he would not be seen. Mika still held onto him as the bird sped up.

* * *

Reno stared at the large bird as it flew towards Junon. Rude came up to him from behind and cleared his voice.  
"...Now we know... what kind of _birds_ you get," he stated in a stoic voice.

* * *

The bird didn't stop uttering pitched cries until they were above Junon. There it once again became tired. Mika was just waiting for it to lose height one more time, but it didn't. At least not yet. They approached one of the upper levels of the city, where the airships were placed. From there they could see all the boats at the port. She tried readying herself for a clumsy landing, similar to the one she had seen the bird carry out earlier, and tightened her grip around Smith. Below them were countless machines and small people coming out of large buildings. On the lower floors there were countless people walking around, patrolling. But on the uppermost platform, the one they were obviously going to land on, there was not a single person to be seen.

Then the giant bird dove down, its speed increasing by the second. She saw Smith let go of his hood and grab some feathers and felt his muscles tighten under her hands. The ground got closer and closer, and just as they were about to land, many things happened at once.

One: a deafening salute was heard from one of the lower floors of Junon, announcing the arrival of important guests.

Two: the bird got frightened upon hearing the loud salute and lost its focus completely, and as a result it crashed down on the concrete ground, sending Mika and Smith tumbling.

Three: Smith's hood fell off.

As she landed on the floor, rolling around, her eyes were fixed on the long, silver hair that billowed around Smith as he landed as gracefully as possible on one knee and supported himself with a hand. His two swords stuck out from under his cloak as it billowed in the wind; one Mako blade and one unbelievably long, thin sword that carried the same color as his silver hair. Once Mika stopped rolling she remained completely still, not moving an inch, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

His eyes met hers; his shining jade orbs burning their way through her hazel ones and seemingly into her mind, making her certain she would never ever forget how they looked. His gaze burned, but the fire was not red; it was green. As she watched him frown and rise to his feet, then approach her, she could do nothing but stare. Once he was close enough, he lowered and grabbed her wrist, then hauled her to her feet. Then he grabbed her jaw with his other hand, forcing her to look at him.

"_Not. A word._" Sephiroth muttered, his voice as alien and unfamiliar to her as his stare.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Oh My Grape! (-gasps-)

That said, I am an electric device, and your reviews are my batteries.


	7. Junon

Disclaimer: I... _do not_... own Final Fantasy.

Thanks you so incredibly much for the encouraging reviews! (And even though you _can _skip reviewing and simply go on to the next chapter, remember that it is just as easy to leave a review that makes me haappyy---)

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**Junon - Rarity**

* * *

"_Not. A word._" Sephiroth heard himself mutter, glaring intently into her wide hazel orbs. Though obviously frightened, she tried to nod. She failed, though, since he held her jaw tightly. His gloved hand loosened and let go, but Mika did not move at all, she just stared up at him with those frightened eyes. Glancing around, he found no cameras, nor any people of Shinra.

He gave a nod in the direction of a door nearby and she stumbled closer to it, then both of them hurried inside. Sephiroth followed her while making sure she did not do anything rash. They made their way through halls and down stairs, avoiding all contact with others. Upon hearing approaching voices, he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her through the first open door they passed. Once inside, he shut the door and turned to get an overview. The room had uniforms and suits waiting for their owners.

...If the two of them wanted to avoid detection, they had to be quick.

The only reason Sephiroth had not killed Mika yet was because a dead body in the middle of Junon would, without a trace of doubt, bring around a lot of racket. In turn, countless investigations would be made. Still, keeping her quiet could become difficult.

He grabbed a uniform and handed it to her, his glare daring her to refuse accepting. She took the uniform and looked around.

"I...I'll just..." she mumbled, pointing to the bathroom door. When Sephiroth did not respond, she walked slowly towards the bathroom, glancing over her shoulder as she did. Then she went inside to get dressed.

Sephiroth found a uniform for himself as well. It was slightly small, but would have to do. After struggling a little, he managed to put the uniform on top of his own clothes, his leather coat sticking to his thighs. If he left his own clothes here, people _would_ start asking questions. He used a helmet to shield his face from view, and his hair stuck to his back inside the uniform so it would not be seen. But his swords posed a problem. They were bound to be recognized, at least his Masamune. Mika got out of the bathroom and found herself a helmet as well. Her hair was visible, but that did not matter. In fact, that just made it easier for him to keep an eye on her. Right after she put on her Shinra helmet, the door opened and some men came inside, laughing of some old joke. Upon seeing them, the men grinned.

"Oh, look who we have here! Swordsmen!" one of them commented, and the others laughed loudly, as if they had just been talking about swordsmen and some entertaining situation including them.  
"Sorry, we're just _ordinary guards,_ so we only have _normal guns,_" another one said, and they laughed even more. Sephiroth looked down at his swords. The Mako blade was on top of his dispatched cloak, which covered his own, long sword. The only visible part of his Masamune was the hilt.

"But you know, you should hurry. Or else you'll be late. Come 'ere!" one of them said, and gestured for them to come with him. Mika glanced at Sephiroth, who gave an almost invisible nod. She followed the guard and Sephiroth grabbed the Mako blade. He took hold of his own sword as well, but covered it with the cloak to hide its appearance.

He exited, following Mika and the guard.

After some minutes of walking in silence behind the abnormally slow, leisurely moseying guard, they finally got to their destination. Shinra guards – all carrying swords – were lined up in front of them, facing away from them. The guard that had showed them the way urged them forward and refused to leave before they got in line as well. They stepped forward, though unwillingly, and stayed in the back row.

* * *

Mika shifted uncomfortably. She had equipped the uniform on top of her own clothes, and it was already getting warm. Not to mention, her coat had balled up a little around her butt, so that probably looked a little odd under the uniform. If that wasn't enough, she was the only person without a sword, she was the shortest person there, and she was also the only woman. And, of course, none other than _Sephiroth _was standing next to her, towering above everyone else. They both wore helmets, so their identities were safe for now. That was the only good thing about all of this. She just hoped that no one could hear her heart beating as clearly as _she_ could. Sephiroth had attached his own sword to his back, and it was covered in what she believed was his old cloak. Noticing she watched him, he stretched out an arm to her without turning in her direction, offering her the Mako sword.

"...Stay quiet," he mumbled, and she was certain she was the only one who heard him. She accepted the blue and glowing Mako sword, feeling oddly honored and at the same time terrified. The blue light of the blade faded somewhat when the sword switched owner.

"Gentlemen! Swordsmen! Behold: Rufus Shinra!" the man in front of the swordsmen announced, and everyone brought their hands to their foreheads. Mika did as well, albeit a little after the others. Her other hand held onto the Mako sword. She had never wielded a sword before, and it felt weird. Then she noticed that the swords of the other guards were all alike, and they were all sheathed at their hips – the only one holding a different sword (in her hand and not in a sheath) was herself. And Sephiroth, of course. Mika swallowed, pleased that no one could see her face at the moment.

Then, appearing before them, came Rufus, the founder of the renewed Shinra. No one moved an inch as his intense gaze swept across the guards, his steel gaze piercing the eyes of those he looked upon. Even with the helmet on, it was not exactly comfortable (but Sephiroth's gaze was far more intimidating, in her opinion). Once Rufus caught sight of Sephiroth, his eyes narrowed. He watched the tall man for a long time, but remained completely still.

"...You. I can't recall seeing you here before. Who are you?" Rufus demanded. Sephiroth didn't answer and Rufus narrowed his eyes even more, wary of the tall guard who did not reply. Then he walked around all the guards and stopped right in front of him. Surely, if Sephiroth spoke, Rufus would find his voice familiar? Or at least his way of speech?  
"Present yourself," he demanded again.

Not a word from Sephiroth. Mika cleared her voice, her heart sounding to herself like a chainsaw gone haywire, and Rufus turned to her.

"Oh? ...A _woman?_ I thought only men were allowed as swordsmen," Rufus said, clearly enjoying himself. Something extremely small in the far end of her mind screamed "discrimitaion!", but she ignored it.  
"...Your name?" he asked.

"Sam Smith, Mr. President, Sir. It is short for Samantha," she said. _Great... That was like saying 'Sam Smooth'. Only not as smooth. _It was the best she could do, though, since the label on her uniform said just that: Sam Smith.  
"Really... What is the meaning of that peculiar looking sword, then, _Sam? _And would you happen to know this man?" he inquired, gazing at her glowing blade, but then he moved his stare back to Sephiroth, who was seemingly a lot more interesting. She couldn't blame him, but if they found his identity, there was a chance he would kill them all. Gathering her determination, she readied herself for some major acting.

"That is my brother, Tom Smith, Sir. He is in the same special division as I. That would be the reason behind our deviating swords. Tom is not much of a talker, Sir," she said, aiming for a bored, business-like voice – as if having explained the same thing a hundred times before.  
"...Is that so..." Rufus muttered.

"Commander," he added, and the commander nodded and turned to the men.  
"Swordsmen! Remove your helmets and greet Rufus Shinra!" he ordered.

_Crap._

Everyone did as they were told, including Mika, though with hesitation. But Sephiroth did not. Rufus smirked, his interest magnified. Not once did he avert his steel gaze from Sephiroth, who had already lowered his hand from his forehead. The others still held their hands in place – in front of their foreheads – as the commander had yet to order them to do otherwise. Mika, too, held her hand up, though her arm was starting to ache. The other guards were getting curious as to who Rufus was talking to – some tried to catch glances over their shoulders.

"Why don't you take off you hat, _Smith?_" Rufus taunted. Mika once again cleared her voice. There were many things she was bad at, but at least her brain was functional enough to come up with a few tricks – especially when her life depended on it.  
"He sustained heavy damage on our last mission, Sir. He has an ugly wound stretching from his mouth to the back of his head. I dare say it would offend you to see it, Sir," she said, deliberately sounding jocular, and held his gaze when he turned to her. They stared at each other for a long time, face to face, only inches apart, neither of them planning to break eye contact.

"Hn," Rufus said, suddenly bored. If she guessed correctly, Rufus probably thought Sephiroth was one of those muscle-heads who couldn't do anything right. The President then turned and left the two of them to take his position in front of the others. The commander let out a loud sigh and sent them both a furious glare.  
"Dis_missed_!" he growled, his cheeks red, his mustache moving in sync with his snarling lips, and the swordsmen did as he said. Sephiroth turned around and left, expecting Mika to follow him.

She did.

* * *

Sephiroth did not stop walking before they were aboard the first boat heading for Costa del Sol. The boat was so busy that none of the people would notice two extra guards sneaking aboard, and they all continued their daily chores. Without a word to Mika, Sephiroth locked himself into a bathroom and got off the uniform he wore, and removed his own clothes. Then he took a shower to rid himself of whatever mud and dirt he had gotten upon himself the last days. Afterwards he put on the uniform and the helmet. Then he looked down at the small ID on his front pocket. It said 'Tom Smith'. That was, indeed, what Mika had called him earlier. He narrowed his eyes. Despite her behavior, she did – at the very least – have some useful skills. If being able to read and remember names was considered a _skill_.

Deciding to clean his clothes later, after he'd had some food, he folded his clothes and hid them below a pile of "clean" sheets. He was sure no one would find it, for the sheets - although clean - had a thin layer of dust on top of them. Upon leaving he grabbed his long, wrapped sword and exited the room to find Mika sitting on the floor next to the door. Once she saw him, she got to her feet. Sephiroth read the name on her front pocket. 'Sam Smith'. At first, he had believed she had come up with it. That did not seem to be the case.

The bathroom door was about to close, but Mika's arm snapped out to stop it just before it did. She then handed him the Mako blade he had given her earlier and entered the room with a wary, requesting look on her face. He heard her lock the door and left. Guarding her would not be necessary, as when both of them were aboard the boat, he doubted she would tell anyone about him. Back in Junon, she had even protected him. That was, he believed, due to the fact that he would have massacred everyone within sight if the Shinra people found his true identity. And as Mika was obviously smart enough to know that he would kill each and all of the passengers on the boat if she told even one of them about him, he could leave her alone for now.

* * *

Mika entered the messy bathroom and stepped over the endless piles of dirty clothes, left by various Shinra employees. After taking a fast shower, she put her uniform back on. Her own clothes were dirty after wearing them for as long as she had, and needed to be washed. Thinking Sephiroth's uniform had looked slightly roomier than before – as if he had dispatched his clothes, she rummaged through the different piles in case he had left them behind. She found them under a pile of sheets. Should she clean them as well?

Frowning, she looked at the leather garments. The reason she had helped him back there was because she didn't want him to kill anyone. At least that was what she told herself. Even so, a part of her didn't want Sephiroth to be caught at all. Sighing, Mika grabbed his clothes and started cleaning them, carefully polishing the buckles. The surface of his leather clothes was cleaned with a warm, damp cloth, as something else could damage the leather, she figured. If she ruined his clothes, she would... She would _die._ Really.

After cleaning them she took care of her own clothes. With less perfection, she emptied her pockets and threw her coat and the rest of her clothes into the only washing machine in the room and turned it on. After several long minutes of waiting, she turned off the machine, well aware that it was not anywhere done yet – but her clothes were _clean,_ that was what mattered. She stuffed the wet garments into one of the tumble-driers and turned that one on as well. Every now and then she opened it to check if the clothes were dry, and once they were, she turned off the machine. Her items were put back in the pockets they belonged to.

She folded Sephiroth's clothes, which were also dry by now, and grabbed her own pile of clothes with her Shinra helmet on top. When she finally left the small, warm room – wearing the uniform from earlier – she was met with refreshing air smelling of salty sea. Taking deep breaths while walking, she searched for Sephiroth. She walked from place to place while using her eyes to scan people, searching for the tall man with the 'Tom Smith' label on his uniform. He was nowhere to be found.

Eventually sighing in defeat, she retreated to the room in which all the beds were, still holding the clothes. It was dark in there, as all the curtains were drawn.

"Mika?" someone asked in a low voice, and Mika jerked around with a not-so-elegant "Ngeh!" to see 'Smith'. He still wore his helmet and his Shinra uniform, which made him seem a little less intimidating.

"...You scared me," she mumbled and walked over to a bed, her eyes never leaving the dangerous man. She was frightened, yes, but she didn't want him to know.

As if he couldn't tell.  
"I know," he replied, sounding almost arrogant, and Mika dropped her own pile of clothes on the bed, along with her helmet.

"Are you sorry?" she asked, barely audible, hoping Sephiroth wouldn't hear her, but he did. Of _course _he did.  
"No," he stated simply, making Mika knit her eyebrows. She walked over to him and pushed his neatly folded clothes into his chest in a harsh manner, and he accepted them.

"...I cleaned them for you," she said, disappointed.

* * *

"I cleaned them for you," he heard her say. She sounded rather sulky. When she turned away, crossing her arms, Sephiroth slowly brought his clothes closer to his face and smelled at them, feeling a clean, leather-like scent. He doubted his clothes had been this clean before, at least not since his Soldier days. Why had she cleaned them? He had been planning to do it himself later, after he'd had something to eat. Walking around in dirty clothes was not something he enjoyed. He didn't mind her cleaning them, though.

This made him think of what had happened earlier that day. Not once had she tried to even _hint_ to the others who he was. She had saved him the trouble of covering for himself when Rufus had started questioning him. Sephiroth would have been fine on his own, but even so, she had been of assistance.

Why did she help?

He was Sephiroth.

_Sephiroth._

"...Are you hungry?" Mika asked, and he realized she was standing right in front of him again, looking up at the visor of his helmet with narrowed, suspicious eyes.  
"Or are you just thinking?" she asked again.

He said nothing. He simply didn't feel compelled to reply.

"You can't eat in the cafeteria with that helmet. The food won't fit in that small opening. I'll go get some and bring it down here," she said quietly. Before he replied, she brushed past him and through the door. He was left behind in the dark room and walked over to the bed closest to the wall. It was the one next to hers, as he would need to keep his eyes open in case she would try spilling something about him to others despite the risks. It was also an ideal place because he would not be too close to the others. He had placed the swords underneath the bed earlier.

Just as Sephiroth was about to get seated on his bed, he stopped as he heard some noise coming from the hall. Mika was back so soon?

He would have ignored it if it wasn't for the fact that the smell of food was coming from there. Also, he heard Mika's voice complaining about something. She had obviously gotten into trouble. Sephiroth found himself pondering whether or not she would get out of it by herself. Deciding that it could be amusing to see what trivial matters occupied her, he walked over to the door and opened it to see her walking towards him. Behind her on the floor was a drunk guard, mumbling things to himself while stretching an arm in her direction. Mika, holding one plate in each hand and two bottles of water under one arm, ignored the man and stopped in front of Sephiroth, her cheeks flushed.

"...Here," she muttered, handing him a large plate filled to the edge with different kinds of food. After he accepted the plate, she used her now free hand to grab one of the water bottles and handed it to him. He took hold of it, and after throwing one last glance in the direction of the drunk, mumbling man, he turned back into the bedroom.

Mika sat down on her bed and placed her food next to her. Sephiroth settled on the bed opposite to her and did the same, and removed his helmet. His hair - still wet from the shower - fell down and rested on his back and shoulders. Sensing that Mika watched him, he rose his jade eyes from his newly removed helmet and observed her. Knitting her eyebrows slightly, she averted her eyes to her food, which was now on her lap, and started eating.

Eating fast, she finished eating quite quickly and settled to watch him as he finished his own meal. He vaguely wondered how expensive the food had been, and remembered how high the prices had been back when he was in Soldier. He had usually been offered a discount, though, merely because the others had been to frightened to demand full prices from him. When he had no money, he just sent them a glare, and they sent him uneasy glances while mumbling incoherently that it would all be on the house today.

"Can I... plait your hair?" he heard her ask in a strained voice, and felt one of his eyes twitch.

_What?_

* * *

"Can I... plait your hair?" Mika asked, and instantly regretted it to the bottom of her heart.

_Crap. That has got to be the most crap-tastic thing I have ever said.  
_Really, it was like asking a crocodile if she could paint its teeth, or like asking Rufus to wear a polka-dot hoodie instead of his white suit.

Sephiroth's eyes widened for a moment, piercing hers with abnormal strength, then narrowed considerably.  
"What?" he asked, and Mika wished she could just disappear into a void of non-existent nothingness that was nothing else than nothingess that was far, far, _far_ away from this time and place and person.

"Uh... Your hair... It would be easier to hide it in your uniform if I plaited it... You know, a braid..." she mumbled, her head lowering by the second. She had just asked the strongest 1st Class Soldier member, _the_ infamous ex-general Sephiroth, if she could _plait his hair. _Her own dark locks fell down in front of her as she watched the floor and her feet. _Where _did that idea _come from?_

"...You... do have a point... Stray hair could be a problem if someone were to see it," she heard him mutter, sounding like he was forcing the words out of his mouth, and wondered if it was just her imagination. Perhaps he was mocking her. Her gaze continued scrutinizing the Shinra boots she wore, and her head remained lowered. She couldn't watch him. Besides, though her boots were not exactly pretty, they were a lot more comforting than the burning jade gaze of a certain mass murderer. Her short moment of false comfort came to a halt, however, as something moved. To her surprise, she saw something stop in front of her, and she raised her head.

Right in front of her, with his back to her, Sephiroth was sitting on the floor. With one leg stretched out and the other close so that he could let one arm rest on his knee, he sat completely still.

"Do it," he ordered. Mika's eyes widened and she felt her mouth open slightly in surprise as she stared at the back of his head. It felt like her heart was trying to jump out of her throat, and she was certain that even the captain of the ship could hear it beating. Was it all a trap?

Slowly, her trembling hands moved forward and took hold of his damp silver hair.

Willing herself to calm down, she took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Her hands ran through his soft, long locks, feeling heavenly against her own, perfectly normal and average skin. A thought struck her. It would be easy for her to plait his hair while it was wet, but if he let it _dry before _he unbraided it, it would become _curly_. A mental image of Sephiroth standing on a cliff in a vigorous, yet mysteriously sparkly storm - with lots of frizzy hair jumping about in the wind - made its way into her mind. She was eternally grateful that Sephiroth couldn't see her face contort with her efforts to stop herself from laughing or fainting.

She would have to remind him to comb out the plait before it dried completely. But not right now.

His hair felt smooth and soft under her skin, caressing her hands as she touched it. It was unruffled and sleek, and Mika didn't know if she should try plaiting it at all. What if she pulled out a strand of hair? Would that upset him? Mika sighed without a sound. She would have to stop acting foolish around Sephiroth. For all she knew, he could end up killing her for it. Even so, he had ordered her to plait his hair, so if she pulled too hard, he would just have to say so. She strongly doubted he would, though.

After dividing his hair into three, she tightened her fingers around two of them as she started her 'mission'.

* * *

Sephiroth tried to get used to the unfamiliar feeling of his hair being pulled in different directions. It was just odd. Mika left his forelocks alone and pulled the rest of his hair back. Needless to say, no one had _ever _touched his hair before, much less plaited it. That made him frown slightly, but he dismissed the thought as he remembered Mika had also taken a shower earlier – that meant her hands were cleaner than regular human hands.

He felt her tug and move his hair back and forth for a while, and as she got closer to completing the plait, the tugs weakened. In the end he felt almost nothing at all, and guessed she held the end of his braid in her lap as she was about to finish it. He hoped her empty plate of food was not still on her lap as well.

"...There," she said, and he felt her hand run down his newly plaited hair, as if to check it for flaws. Her fingers brushed over his skin as her hand passed his neck, and he froze. Had she done that on purpose? Or was she oblivious? He turned his head just in time to see a faint smile caressing her features, but as she saw him turn, she let go of his hair as if it had burnt her.

"Sorry! Lost in thought!" she explained, which really only made the situation more awkward for her, and he instantly found himself wondering just what she had been thinking about. As he narrowed his eyes, still watching her, she smiled apologetically. Then he remembered something she had told him before:

_You think too much._

"You think too much," he stated, and before she said anything, he swiftly moved from the floor and lay down on his assigned bed.

"Huh? Didn't _I _tell _you-_" she started, but before she said another word, Sephiroth had brought out a materia from his folded clothes and used Sleep. He turned his head lazily and watched as her eyelids closed and she fell to her side. Luckily for her, she did not hit her empty plate of food. Considering the fact that her legs still hung over the edge of her bed, she would most likely be hurting when she woke up tomorrow.

Which meant she would definitely be grumpy and blame him for it.  
...Which meant that he would have to listen to her complaints for a very long time.

He frowned deeply and let out a weary sigh. The last thing he did before he went to rest was to move her legs onto her bed. He did not move away her empty plate, however, nor did he put a blanket on top of her, because if there was one thing he did not at all desire, that was for anyone to think of him as _kind_.

For he was not.

* * *

**R.R.**  
I hope Sephiroth wasn't out of character, but I need to get some progress... :)  
But! He obviously doesn't like her yet.


	8. Costa del Sol

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy...

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**Costa del Sol - Commencement**

* * *

When Mika woke up, she instantly jerked up into a sitting position. The last thing she remembered from yesterday was a flash, and she knew it had been a Sleep spell. She stared sideways at Sephiroth – he was still resting, facing the wall, and his blanket covered him almost completely. Part of his silver plait hung down from the bed, giving her a very heavy, horrible feeling in her gut.

The _plait._

It was definitely dry by now. Once Sephiroth unbraided that thing, it would leave his hair curly and wavy. He would kill her, or at the very least give her some sort of punishment she would never forget. First, he would take all her money for whatever he might need in the future of food and such. Then he would take her materias and possibly her gun and a few of the smoke bombs she had left. After that, he would put a Silence spell on her and tie something around her eyes so she couldn't see his curly hair and laugh of it, then he would cut off finger by finger, toe by toe, hand by hand, foot by foot, elbow by elbow, knee by knee, shoulder by shoulder... Or perhaps, before torturing her that much, he would pull out her nails (which she had heard hurt unimaginably much) and cut off all her hair while making sure she saw it. When he was finished (the limb-slicing would take place in a bath-tub or some other water- and bloodproof thing), all he had to do was throw her body and her body parts off board, into the sea. Fiends would eat her before anybody would find her. As for the bathtub with all her blood in it, he would dump that as well, knowing it would sink to the bottom of the sea.

...Perhaps she could try to sneak away? Since she had nothing to lose?

Very quietly she moved her feet down to the floor. She still wore her uniform and shoes, so all she had to do now was to grab her own pile of clean clothes and leave before-

"Mika," she heard and stiffened completely. That was the second time he said her name – his low, dark, _warning_ voice was completely clear, and she turned her head to watch him warily. He supported himself on both elbows and observed her with arched brows. Then she noticed that the blanket was the only thing covering him from her eyes, as he wasn't wearing his uniform (before, he had worn all his clothes, including the black cloak that now covered his swords). Upon seeing only a fraction of his fine, toned muscles – their shapes as close to perfect as they could possibly get and his skin smooth and soft and comfy-looking enough to scar even the most innocent of souls with perverted thoughts – she _quickly_ turned away, cheeks scarlet and red and crimson and red and red and red.

"Um... Sorry I woke you up?" she tried, her voice as shaky as a jelly during an earthquake. When she felt his burning gaze scrutinize her back, she tried turning away even more.  
"...I was not asleep. More importantly, where are you going?" he inquired, and she glanced at him only to see that his eyes were narrowed in something that looked like both suspicion, taunt and amusement.

As if on cue – an extremely, horribly, utterly unbelievably well-timed coincidence – the speakers on the wall crackled and a bored voice spoke:

"We're in Costa del Sol, so if ya wanna get off, ya should leave now... Or else we'll take y'all back to Junon..." the tired voice said and after crackling some more, the speakers were turned off. Mika jumped at this new opportunity with great vigour, eager to change the subject.

"We're there!" she said, and hoped he'd buy it. He most likely didn't (he let her know so by knitting his eyebrows a little, but didn't comment it). Looking around, she noticed that the others had already left, and that all the other beds were empty.

"...Should I wait outside while you get dressed?" she asked. He shifted and moved his feet to the floor, still covered by the blanket. She looked away again, under no circumstances intending to glance in her former idol's direction.  
"That would be the most appropriate thing to do, would it not?" he said, as if it was obvious. And it was.

Mika put her water bottle in a pocket, still wearing the Shinra uniform, and put her helmet on. Then she grabbed her clothes and the empty plate, and after hesitating slightly, she also walked over and took Sephiroth's plate. Then she left.

Or at least tried to.

She stopped in front of the door, her arms full and her hands occupied. Something told her Sephiroth watched her as she balanced on one foot and used her other one to press down the door handle. The door made a clicking sound as it opened, and she used her foot to open it completely. Once outside, she figured she had to close it as well, thinking that Sephiroth wouldn't like to get dressed with the door wide-open. Again she balanced on one foot, and again she used her other foot to close the door slowly, without slamming it. As her small door mission was accomplished, she continued down the hall and outside.

* * *

After getting dressed, Sephiroth put on his helmet. It was, indeed, easier to hide his hair now that it was in a plait. Deciding he was ready to leave, he retrieved the swords from under the bed (his Masamune still covered in his old cloak), and attached them to the back of his uniform. After throwing one last glance on his bed, he grabbed his water bottle as he left, holding his own clean clothes under his arm.

It did not take long before he was outside in the sun, surrounded by people with almost no clothes at all. Though he was dressed in a Shinra uniform and a helmet, he did not find the heat too unbearable – he could handle it. He glanced around for Mika.

"Smith!" he heard someone call, and turned to see her making her way through the tan crowd towards him. She had gotten rid of the empty food plates from earlier, and he guessed the bag she held contained her clothes and some food. After a brief exchange of words, (or more precisely; she spoke to him and he listened), they left the port and entered Costa del Sol. It was much larger than he remembered, something he guessed had to do with the newly built Mako reactor nearby. There were more buildings now - the largest one belonging to Shinra. It was a large and seemingly very expensive, modern hotel. Most of the people came out from (or walked into) the tall building – there were guests and servants, piccolos and maids, and in some cases people who wanted to sell souvenirs.

Sephiroth looked in slight distaste as some barely dressed women passed them. They giggled while glancing in his direction, something he chose to ignore – as it were, there were matters of greater importance waiting. Soon Mika led the way to an Inn, as they did not want to draw too much attention to themselves by going to the hotel. At least that was what she said, but he doubted she had enough money to stay there even if she wanted to. Speaking of money – Mika had paid for his Mako blade in Kalm. That meant that technically it belonged to her, did it not?

But he was not going to remind her of _that._

After they were given a room for the night, they closed the door and windows to make sure no one listened in. It was still morning, so they had all day to do something, _anything,_ whether it was relaxing or reactor demolishing.

"Say, do you think the security will be higher this time?" Mika asked, her head turned away.  
"...It will be higher than before, but not high enough to pose a problem. Shinra must think we drowned escaping from Mideel," he said. Saying 'we' was not really true; Shinra probably thought _she _had drowned. They did not even know he had been there. And that was good.

"Can I take care of the demolition this time?" she asked silently and looked up to him. They had both removed their helmets; it would become too warm to keep them on.

Letting Mika take out a reactor by herself would be beneficial. If she got caught, he would still not have anything to do with it – unless she told them. But he doubted she would do such a thing, especially after what she had said about her feelings towards Shinra earlier on their journey. She strongly disliked Shinra and disapproved of their crimes, and was seemingly willing to do just about anything to make their lives difficult.

As did he.

Unlike most other humans, she did not choose to ignore what happened around her. To some degree, that was an attribute he valued.

"Do as you wish," he said. She seemed to wait for him to say something else.

"...Will... you wait here?" she asked. He arched his brows and searched her eyes, wearing a dark smirk. She faltered, but did not flinch, and held his burning jade gaze.  
"That depends on whether or not you succeed," he said silently, and she gave a relieved, yet small, definitely shaky sigh.

"Thanks. While I'm doing my stuff, why don't you check out Costa del Sol?" she suggested.

...What, simply walk around out there in a uniform and a helmet? Who did she take him for?

"Uh, while I was waiting for you to get off the boat, I bought some stuff. Here..." she said, and handed him a small bag he had failed to notice earlier . After scrutinizing the outside of the bag for some long seconds, he accepted it. The first thing he found in it was some sunglasses. They were rather large, and would certainly shield his visible Mako eyes from suspicious people. Then there was a sun hat (more of a slightly baggy cap), also black, for him to hide his silver hair in. Both of the items were smart, yes, but the last thing in the small bag took him by surprise:

She had bought him black _shorts_. They would nearly cover his knees if he chose to wear them, and there were no patterns or similar decorative peculiarities on it. Even so, he scowled deeply upon seeing the piece of cloth before him.

"If... If you go to the beach, you can see the reactor. The-... That way you'll know whether I screw up or not... And since most people on the beach wear bathing suits and shorts... well... You'll draw attention if you're the only one wearing a Shinra uniform. Others from Shinra may even come over to you and give you orders if you stand still for too long without doing anything, so..." she explained, barely audible. Sephiroth gave a silent snort and lowered his head to watch the shorts. Even if he were to use all the items she had bought for him, he would be more or less similar to Sephiroth, especially for those who had actually seen him before. Then again, even if someone were to claim he was the infamous Sephiroth and told Shinra about it, the worst that could happen was that Shinra would come over and question him.

And because he was better than the average person when it came to the use of words, he would rid himself of their presences without notable difficulties. He just hoped he would be able to avoid too much contact with the others at the beach.

* * *

Mika once again checked her items. She was right outside the reactor, hiding in some large, leafy bushes stretching along the path. Back when she and Sephiroth had escaped from Mideel, she had ended up swimming the final distance to that island. Luckily for her, the things she carried survived without too much damage. Her favorite gun was fine, but she had to replace the ammunition. When it came to her small bomb devices, similar to the ones she had used in Midgar, they were undamaged altogether. She had kept them in water proof plastic bags, like the one she had kept food in. And thank goodness for waterproof bags. Now all she had to do was to sneak past the guards and plant the bomb. She gathered her courage and put her Shinra helmet on, then walked around the bushes and marched up to the entrance.

The guards there stopped her.

"Halt! State your business!" a tall, skinny man demanded in a loud, squeaky voice.  
"Special division; I am here to perform the annual check of your working conditions," she said, her voice as confident as possible. If it hadn't been for the guard's helmet, she was quite certain she would have seen him narrow his eyes.

"Wow. About time they started with that, huh?" the other guard said, a man with a big stomach who stood there pretty leisurely. The first guard remained suspicious.

"Special division, huh? Why do they send such a special person to do boring jobs like annual checks?" he questioned.  
"I happen to be quite new in said division, and it would seem my superiors are still testing me," she countered. Finding no other plausible questions to ask, the guards stepped aside. Mika walked inside, smiling inside her helmet of her success. She was glad the glasses were shaded, or else they would most likely have stopped her again.

The 'working conditions' were _not_ good. The air in the reactor was humid and pungent due to the warm weather, and the place smelt of something she could not categorize even if she tried. She walked deeper into the reactor, knowing well were she was heading. All the reactors were built almost the same way and thus she was able to find the core – the heart of the reactor – fairly fast. Mika got out a tiny piece of what looked like metal with a small antenna. After placing it carefully on the designated spot, where it stuck with the help of magnets, she left.

Once she exited the reactor, the skinny guard cleared his squeaky voice.

"Well?" he asked in his loud voice, and at first she didn't understand what he meant., but turned back to them nonetheless.  
"What do you think of our working conditions then?" the same guard asked, as if he were a vice president and she were his not-so-reliable advisor.

"...Smells like monkey-butt," Mika replied, and a long silence followed. At this, they were obviously struck dumb. Believing they had nothing else to say, she gave a short laugh and nod, then left.

* * *

Sephiroth, who currently 'relaxed' at the beach under one of the many parasols placed there at the convenience of people who had nothing better to do, scowled intensely through his glasses. His vision was _blocked._ To describe it quite precisely, his view of the upcoming doom of the Mako reactor was blocked by several not-quite-as-interesting-at-the-moment women who stood before him in a half-circle. Each and all of them wore something akin to threads, which failed to hide their... _curves_... completely. Showing off their breasts in particular, while flashing seductive smiles, some sat around him in the sand while others bent over them to get closer to him. He found the bikini-designers were to blame; they were either lacking financial support and used cloth leftovers to make previously mentioned garments, _or_ they were closet perverts.

Needless to say, he was currently completely surrounded by these tanned creatures belonging to the biological category _'lesser and/or inferior humans'_.  
It really was extremely disturbing.

"You enjoying yourself?" one of them asked, voice tinged with what sounded to him like overly sweet sugar, while some of the others giggled and hugged themselves to show off cleavage.

He did not answer; the woman was not worth it.  
"What is your name?" she asked, winking at him. If it were not for his sunglasses, it would not surprise him if 'death by glare' would become an actuality. But he kept them on. Hopefully, these women were as dumb as they looked (he knew judging people by their appearance was not looked lightly upon by some, but for him, they were all the same: foolish _humans_). Therefore, when they continued asking stupid questions, he continued not answering.

"...Excuse me, can I come through?" someone asked, and in the corner of an eye he saw the women step aside. Perhaps this was his chance to escape.

"...Smith?" the newly arrived person asked incredulously, and upon hearing that name, he turned to look over his shoulder. A "Shinra guard" stood before him, with the label 'Sam Smith' on her front pocket. He heard the women giggle even more as they tried 'his' name, not just once.  
"I need you to come with me," the disguised Mika said, and for the first time since he met her, he felt truly relieved to have her by his side. That is, if he left out the food. He was – if only a little – grateful for that as well.

"...Very well," he said and got to his feet. Upon hearing him speak, the tanned creatures squealed, some huddling closer to their friends.  
"Can't we come with you?" one of them asked with a pout on her face – she and one other looped their arms in his.

He clenched his teeth, dangerously close to wreak more than just a little havoc.

"Mr. Smith has other things to attend to," Mika said and before the ladies could come any closer, she grabbed his wrist with her gloved hand and pulled him out of there. Once again he frowned – there was strictly no reason for her to pull him away from there by his wrist; he was perfectly capable and willing to get away from there by himself. In fact, he was tempted to increase his speed and run past her, as they were being followed by the two women who had held onto him seconds ago.

But why had he not heard an explosion yet? Hadn't Mika managed to get into the reactor?

Holding onto his wrist all the way to the Inn, she didn't let go before they were inside the actual building. Once they were in their room, she dropped down on her bed and removed her helmet with some difficulties.

"Gah... So _warm_..." she complained. Sephiroth sat down on his own bed. It was now late afternoon, and the room was already quite dark thanks to the curtains, so he removed his sunglasses.  
"...Why is the reactor still operative?" he demanded.

Mika sat up and watched him – he still only wore the shorts and the gray hat.

"Because I haven't pushed the button yet," she said, as if it was the most simple thing in the world. Then she smirked; a smirk that was _almost _dark.  
"You want to do it?" she asked, and before he replied she pulled out a small device from one of the uniform pockets and threw it over to him. His hand snapped up as he grabbed it and he lowered it to his face to inspect it. There were several small buttons, as well as a slightly larger red button.

"...If you push that button, the reactor will break. It'll be ages before they can rebuild it. But I don't think we'll hear the explosion too well from all the way over here, though..." she explained.

"If you cannot hear it, how do you know whether the explosion was successful?" Sephiroth questioned. To that, Mika flashed him a smile.  
"The lights in the Shinra hotel will disappear, because it relies on Mako power. I guess the best idea would be to wait until it gets completely dark. That'll leave the most chaos and then we can get away from here without being noticed," she said.

That was another problem. Once the reactor broke, Shinra would know that they, or _she, _had survived the storm back in Mideel. Then they would block all the escape routes. Sephiroth frowned as his mind worked – with high efficiency – until he found a simple plan. After thinking it through once or twice, he raised his jade gaze to Mika, who was still waiting for him to answer her.

"We shall get some rest now and leave the Inn at midnight. Once we leave Costa del Sol, we will push the button to start the explosion. That way Costa del Sol will be in chaos until daylight comes, and by then we will be long gone. With some speed, we will evade their troops if they decide to block the way," he said, and by the concentrated look on her face, he knew she thought it through.

Afterwards Mika went to the bathroom. Not too much later she returned, wearing her own clothes (black coat, boots and baggy pants), and the Shinra uniform was nowhere to be seen. Her dark hair was still wet from having taken a shower. Sephiroth had changed into his own clothes as well, and he, too, had ridden himself of the uniform and the black shorts (they were in a trash bin - burned to ashes). There was no way he would ever wear those again. The things he kept were the swords, of course, as well as his water bottle, the black cap and the sunglasses. They could come in handy later. Mika had apparently bought some for herself also, as a couple were on her desk.

Sephiroth was perfectly aware it was still early in the evening, but initiated the early stages of his plan as quickly as possible nonetheless: He used Sleep, without warning, on Mika. After making sure she was out cold, he went to bed himself, succumbing to his usual resting state. And – for once – he did not wander around in his own mind thinking. He just watched the ceiling, waiting for midnight to arrive. The small device with the red button was on the small table next to Mika's bed, waiting for them. Once midnight came, he sat up in his bed almost languidly and turned to Mika. She, like him, was already fully dressed and ready to go. But she was still asleep. Throwing a short glance out the window he could see the Shinra hotel; lit up by Mako energy. That would not last.

Getting up, he walked over to Mika and nudged her shoulder to wake her up. She did not stir.

Being Sephiroth, he tried again, only with more force.

Once again he failed.

"...Mika," he said impatiently, subconsciously noting that this was the third time he said her name, and for once it did not feel as unfamiliar. But it still felt odd.

She showed no signs of waking up. Sighing, Sephiroth pushed her legs off the bed and moved her into a sitting position. Her head rested on one of her shoulders. Becoming rather impatient, he shook her shoulders a little harder than he had to. To his annoyance she still did not wake up – instead, her head lolled forward. He let go of her and watched her fall to her side.

After some long seconds of rethinking his plans, he attached both of the swords to his back, this time covering both of them with the old cloak of his. Then he put the bomb device in one of his more accessible pockets and walked over to Mika again. He moved her into a sitting position one more time and, with only slight difficulties, he managed to turn around in front of her and hoist her onto his back. Mika, now resting safely on his back and his well covered swords, remained deep asleep, still affected by the Sleep spell he had cast earlier.

Leaving her behind did not occur to him as a feasible option before he left the Inn. Upon realizing that, he came to an abrupt halt. Once again he sighed in annoyance, thinking he had already lost enough time. If he left her behind, she would become angry. Knowing that anger was a common reaction upon being left behind, and well aware of the fact that Mika could spill his existence and identity to someone if she became angry, Sephiroth tightened his grip.

Thus - with Mika still on his back - he left Costa del Sol, not entirely without frowning.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Hope you liked Sephiroth's awkward situation at the beach. I kinda lieked eet.  
Imma sleep naow.


	9. North Corel

Disclaimer: I still don't own Final Fantasy.  
I... need... encouragement... _please_...

* * *

**North Corel - Attention**

* * *

Making his way out of Costa del Sol, Sephiroth remembered that Mika had yet to tell him how long he could walk before pushing the button. The range could not possibly be too long. He still kept walking, with Mika on his back, out of town and away. Once he was on top of a small hill with view of the village, he stopped and turned around. The new Shinra hotel in Costa del Sol was quite visible. It was, after all, the only building using Mako energy. He doubted the Mako reactor could get too much energy out of the Planet down there; this area was not very fertile, to say the least.

With one hand he found the small device and watched it with interest. Then he raised his eyes to the hotel again and pushed the button. Nothing happened the first seconds. But he kept watching, and eventually he heard a faint explosion from where the reactor was partially hidden and witnessed the hotel go dark. Not a single light was left, with the exception of one or two lit candles that were only tiny spots of light to his eyes. But candles did not run on Mako energy, of course. Sephiroth allowed a smirk to cross his features as he put the device back in his pocket. Then he turned around and ran towards the mountains.

Running would take some energy from him, he knew that, but if he just walked Shinra would catch up with them. Thus he ran over the plains, navigating easily despite the darkness of the night, sometimes scaring away small fiends that happened to come his way. He did not waste time killing them; he had already decided to get to the mountains as quickly as possible.

He was painfully aware how close Mika was to him at the moment. The fact that her head rested on his shoulder did not make matters and awful lot better. Trying to to ignore it, he forced himself to take interest in the not-so-interesting grass in front of him as he made his way through the deep valleys. The mountains towered higher above him on both sides the closer he got, and it did not take long before he saw a bridge ahead.

The bridge reminded him of what had happened some days ago when they arrived at the ruins of the Temple of the Ancients – the bridge back there had not been very inviting, giving off those creaking sounds and swaying like that, but the bridge he crossed now seemed to be newer and sturdier. He vaguely wondered if Mika would have crossed this bridge very carefully, or if she would have crossed it carelessly instead. Both were likely possibilities, and both would have looked strange or amusing to some degree. To him, however, the bridge did not pose a problem at all and he crossed it without any trouble. Then he continued running alongside the looming mountains until he found a path leading up.

This was a place he had been at before. The path led to North Corel, which was also referred to as 'The gate to Gold Saucer'. To get there they had to climb Mt. Corel, pass a broken Mako Reactor, follow some old, rusty train tracks and finally cross a long bridge. It could take a while to get there.

Upon being blinded for a short second by strong light, he looked up to see the sun making its way over the mountain peaks, plastered to the horizon like an overly visible sign telling him to hurry. His eyes narrowed and he turned his back on the bright light.

Then he crouched a little and dropped Mika to the ground, not too gently. She did still not wake up, which made him ponder whether he had used too much energy on that Sleep spell he cast last night. That was most likely the case.

"Wake up," he tried. It did not surprise him the least when she did not stir.

Recalling the previous morning, when she had been quite awake indeed (and also red in the cheeks), he slowly lowered to sit on his knees in front of her. Aiming to frighten her out of her sleep if possible, he bent forward, hovering above her with his cheek near hers, and his mouth close to her ear. Her faint, sweet scent dulled his senses.

"_Wake. Up._" The demand was spoken in a dark whisper. If that did not wake her up, he did not know what would work.  
But if she stayed asleep, he would leave her behind. That decision was final.

* * *

Mika woke up with the strangest feeling. It was as if something rumbled in her ear, and it made her shiver. Squirming, her eyes fluttered open. The sound she had heard sounded awfully much like Sephiroth. Then she realized it _was_ Sephiroth. At the same time, she realized that he was hovering right above her and his head was right next to her own, close to her ear. Upon noticing her moving, he pulled back just enough to let her see his jade gaze burning its way into her own hazel eyes. She suddenly felt _very_ awake and _very _weak and _very _unable to move at the same time.

"H-Hello?" she said sheepishly, staring at him with wide eyes, too startled to blush. His eyes narrowed and he pulled away.  
"...I was going to leave you here if you did not wake up," he said calmly as he got to his feet. Mika jerked into a sitting position, very aware she was now awake enough for her face to realize that it was about time to blush dark red.

_Where are we? _  
"Mount Corel," Sephiroth said, as if he had read her mind. This time it was _her _turn to narrow her eyes, though she did it out of confusion.

"How did I get here if I was sleeping? More importantly, you could have woken me up!" Mika exclaimed, but he ignored her and started climbing the mountain. She got to her feet and followed.  
"I wanted to see the Shinra hotel go dark! And I wanted to see the look on your face as you pushed the button! I mean, it's not everyday people get to see _that, _right?" she ranted, watching his back as she walked in his steps.  
"How did you say I got here? ...No, no, don't tell me, I'm just glad you didn't leave me back there to answer questions when Shinra comes around," she continued, well aware that he did not care the least about what she said.

"...I doubt you will have any troubles fending for yourself if Shinra were to capture and question you. You will speak so much they will not even have time to ask questions," he said in a monotone voice. That left a very heavy silence. Mika glared at his back. What else could she do but talk when she woke up almost half a continent away from where she fell asleep?

She opened her mouth to speak again.  
"_Be quiet,_" he muttered darkly before she had the chance to utter a single word. This small comment didn't take her entirely off guard, she had seen it coming, but he didn't need to say it in such a rude way. Her head lowered in defeat as they continued in silence.

If he wanted her to be quiet, she would _be_ quiet. Mika just hoped her determination would last (she doubted it would, but it couldn't hurt to try).

Still, if _he_ could be quiet, _she _could be quiet as well. Also, it was much worse when a _noisy_ person was silent than when a calm person was silent; the noisy one going silent all of a sudden would eventually have to cause worry. Or at least so she thought. Even so, her little idea would have very little effect if she just stopped _talking._ Therefore she decided to make as little noise as possible, and also tried to stifle her use of facial expressions as much as possible. But what did she expect? To make Sephiroth, ex-1st Class Soldier, mass murderer, antagonist and Meteor-summoner, _worry? _She would never make it. I was impossible.

In fact, her plan was becoming difficult already. Her breath was becoming increasingly ragged and hard to hold back.

But she wouldn't give up. She would _not._

After walking for quite a while without saying anything, nor complaining, they finally arrived at the top of the mountain. In her mind Mika thanked herself for not collapsing before getting there. The view was not much too boast about, though. An old, rusty and broken Mako reactor awaited them down there, and Sephiroth didn't waste any time standing around. Mika stumbled after him, her eyes fixed on the broken reactor. She wondered what had happened here.

Mika guessed it was early afternoon by the time they got down, and wondered if Shinra guards were following them from Costa del Sol. Why else were the two of them in such a hurry? She followed Sephiroth past the reactor and onto a railway. It looked rather old – no, not old, but rather ancient. There was more rust than metal, and the wood creaked and bent under their feet. It wouldn't surprise her if it was even older than the reactor, which made her watch her step. Sephiroth walked first, though, so it wasn't much of a problem. She lowered her gaze and stepped only where he stepped. It worked out quite nicely at first, but sometimes fiends would come out of nowhere. She ignored them, hoping Sephiroth would take care of them if they came too close. They didn't, though.

Sephiroth showed no signs of being disturbed at all. Perhaps her efforts of being quiet were being ignored.

* * *

Sephiroth was highly disturbed. He could not find the exact reason as to why, he simply _was_. The frown on his face had only kept growing since they started climbing the mountain. The fact that Mika walked behind him in complete silence did not help. She had been silent for quite a while, and he had to admit that it was better to listen to her ranting than listening to her being silent, even though he had more or less ordered her to shut up. It was like listening to soundless sulking. Sulking was not a thing he liked. He had even considered ordering her to speak, but had, of course, immediately thrown that thought away.

The two of them halted when the railway came to an end. In front of them was a long, narrow bridge connecting Mount Corel to the outskirts of North Corel town. The bridge was fairly new and quite sturdy, with countless ropes holding it up. Even though crossing the bridge would be easy, he wondered if Mika would think the same.

As she walked up next to him and watched the bridge, he glanced sideways to observe her. She looked rather lethargic, and he found himself wondering if she was still sleepy. The dull look on her features did not suit her – she looked like she had taken ill. In the end he dismissed his disturbed feelings as a result of lack of food. After all, he had lived on sandwiches and one single proper meal this week. It was a natural thing, even for him, to be annoyed. Though he had more Jenova cells than any other human, he still had some human needs that needed attending. Also, powers such as his needed to be fuelled.

Stepping onto the bridge, he crossed it and felt it shift slightly as Mika stepped on behind him. It swayed as a puff of wind passed, but she remained silent. Once they were both safe on the opposite side of the bridge, he could hear sounds coming from the nearby village. He loosened the swords from his back and put his black, long cloak on. His own long sword, Masamune, remained at his side, under his long cloak. Turning to Mika, he handed her the Mako blade without a word. She accepted it passively without watching him.

About then, he found himself pondering whether he had offended her in some way, but dismissed the matter as soon as it entered his mind. Jenova was growing impatient as well.

"We shall enter North Corel separately," he said, his voice deep. She nodded once, barely visible, still not watching him, her face still wearing a dull look. Sephiroth pulled the hood over his head and left.

Not many minutes afterwards, he entered the dusty town. About everything he could see was covered in some sort of dirt, dust or rusty metal, and most of the objects in the area seemed to be shades of either brown or gray. He came to a halt as he spotted Shinra guards on the other side of town, blocking the way out. These were not just any guards – from what he remembered from previous encounters, they were Elena and Tseng of the Turks. They had most likely gotten here by helicopter. While he watched them, his Jenova cells stirred. The Turks would surely interrogate any suspicious-looking person wanting to leave the town to go south. Considering the fact that he was a tall man wearing a black cloak and a hood that kept his face hidden, they would _not _let him pass without questions. For a moment he thought of killing them, but that would only heighten Shinra's suspicions. Besides, there were witnesses.

Then a little girl walked up to him and watched him with big, brown eyes. Her round, red cheeks grew even rounder when she gave a shy smile.

"...Can you cook?" she asked. _Cook?_

Did he _look_ like he could cook?

_What a random question. _  
"No," he said in a silent voice, not wanting to draw attention. The girl looked disappointed.  
"...Oh... Never mind, then..." she said, and then left.

Sephiroth walked from tent to tent, avoiding the vision of the Turks. The villagers looked at him, but did not really care. Perhaps they were used to people like him passing through. Then he heard the same girl speak again, this time to someone else.

"Can _you _cook?" the girl asked.  
"...Not very much, I'm afraid..." someone answered, mumbling, and he could tell that it was Mika.

"Can you cook a little, then?" the little girl questioned again, sounding hopeful.  
"I... I suppose so... Why?" Mika asked warily, and the girl gave a pleased laugh.

"Because mommy is ill, and she's the one who makes food for everyone every day. But mommy's ill, so she can't do it," the girl explained. Sephiroth could see where this was heading.

"Could you please make food in her place? ..._Please?_" the girl pleaded, and Sephiroth could only imagine the annoying pout on her face. Mika sounded very hesitant, but the little girl eventually got the best of her and took Mika's hand – before Mika could reply. Sephiroth watched as the girl pulled her along up some stone stairs and to a big fire. Over the big fire was an even larger pan. He wondered just how much food it could hold.

* * *

_What_ had she just gotten herself into? Making food for an entire village, though it was small, was _impossible._ She would poison them all. Never before had she made that much food. The little girl just gave her an insanely gleeful look as she pointed at a large bag of ingredients. Where did the little, shy, extremely effective puppy-dog-eyes go?

"Make soup! Mum says that's easy, so you'll make it!" the girl said.

_...Soup._

Mika lowered her head slowly to the large bag in front of her. How could she make soup of this? This wasn't soupy at all. There were potatoes, carrots, some plants she had never seen before, something that looked like meat, and finally some chili on the bottom.

"The water's already boiling, so all you have to do is to drop those things in it in the right order, and make sure you don't boil it too much or too little!" the girl said, then left. If it was so easy, why couldn't she do it herself? Mika was about to call her back, desperate and in need of more accurate instructions, but stopped when she saw someone approach from the shadows.

Sephiroth.

Taking a deep, quiet breath, she tried to keep her face calm. She had to do this right. It couldn't be _that_ hard. Ignoring him, she picked up a knife from next to the fire and took hold of a potato. Then she started peeling and cutting.

And then she _continued _peeling and cutting, for a _very _long time.

Exactly fifty-three potatoes, thirty-four carrots, seven onions, thirty tomatoes, forty-one pieces of something beef-like, and _much _chili later, Mika's hands were disturbingly red. Not only were they red, but they were also very numb. At least they didn't hurt. After dropping the ingredients into the water, which had almost evaporated completely after such a long time of waiting for her, Mika sighed deeply in obvious frustration. The little girl came running with some extra water, and for that she was grateful.

While she'd nearly worked her hands off, Sephiroth had watched her from where he was currently sitting with the others. The people had gathered around the fire as they got hungry, but not one of them had offered to help her. She still kept her face calm, though, determined to stick to her small, seemingly insignificant idea of being 'quiet'. She would stay silent, even if it would do no good. It would be good training.

Then she remembered something she had seen back in Midgar: An ad on a wall, an old poster. _'Add our cream, and __any_ _meal will taste heavenly!'_ Upon remembering the horribly bad ad with the even worse slogan, she frowned slightly. Cream? Like in fatty milk? Mika could have sworn she saw a small bottle of cream somewhere. Searching the bag, her trembling hands found a cold glass bottle with what she guessed was cream, and she hoped what that old poster read was true. After quickly pouring the cream in the boiling broth, she waited.

What if she had used too much chilli?

There was no time for her to check, because all of a sudden the people got to their feet and got in line. Everyone except for Sephiroth, that is. They served themselves and got seated, but none of them started to eat before everyone had food in front of them. The little girl went as far as to give Sephiroth food as well; he didn't accept it when she held it out to him, so she just left it in front of him. Once she left, though, he took hold of the plate and placed it on his lap slowly. Once Mika had helped herself, everyone started eating. She brought her spoon to her mouth with a numb hand and ate.

And she liked it. Silently thanking the wonders of what she was sure had to be the cream, she allowed herself to smile in relief.

* * *

It was already late in the evening when Mika finally finished making the meal. Everbody got to eat until they were quite full, including Sephiroth. Eating in silent solitude, he listened to the villagers – mostly men and some children – ask themselves why she had bothered cutting and peeling all the vegetables before boiling them. They were not used to that. Apparently they usually ate the potatoes whole without even removing the skin. The villagers seemed to think the meal was worth waiting for, though, and ate as if they had not eaten for days – their faces beaming and their cheeks red. Loud laughter broke the dialogue some times at inside jokes that he could make no sense of, and as the evening turned darker they huddled closer to the remains of the fire.

Sephiroth had not failed to notice Mika's hands, however. They were sore from having worked with the food, and he could see she had trouble simply holding her spoon. In the end she seemed to give up and dropped the offending object. Then she raised the plate to her face instead; she drunk the soup as one might drink any other substance usually in a cup or a glass. What happened afterwards was quite amusing: the villagers copied her and for some long seconds all he could hear was gulping and slurping, then they lowered their plates and started chatting and chaffering again. Sephiroth did not. He chose to eat normally and just observe whatever came within hi range of view.

Perhaps they could _fly_ out of here.

_No..._

There were still too may witnesses. Then, should they sneak through Gold Saucer to get south? That would save them the trouble of possibly confronting the Turks guarding the south exit of the town.

"Sorry, Mister, but since you're a guest, do you want to sleep at the Inn? It's not a very good Inn, but it's free!" the small girl said with enthusiasm, not shy anymore.  
"...And she's going, too!" she added, pointing in Mika's direction – at the moment, she was watching her hands in a resigned manner, trying to move her fingers, obviously not too fond of the state they were in.

Some minutes afterwards they were in an old, yet big tent. Even Sephiroth could stand upright, and the room was otherwise more than large enough for them. There were also several beds, though none of them looked overly clean. Mika loosened the Mako sword he had given her earlier from her belt and put it under the bed he presumed she would be occupying, then got seated with a tired sigh.

An old man entered the tent behind them and walked up in front of Mika. What he said next made her turn very pale and equally speechless:

"Miss, we have heard rumous of reactor by reactor being destroyed... We were told by the Shinra guards that a young woman is at fault. If you happen to be that woman, would you allow us to be of assistance?" the man said, and Mika looked at him with eyes a little larger than usual, knitting her eyebrows and keeping her mouth in a fine line.

She said nothing.

"...I understand your suspicion, but you are not the only one who wants to give Shinra... trouble. Let us at the very least help you continue your journey south, if that is where you are going. We can provide you with clothes that will get you into Gold Saucer easily. They will believe you work there. From Gold Saucer you will be on your own. And – remember this – we will _not _tell anyone. That is the least we can do," the old man said, his wrinkles moving a little while he watched Mika, who narrowed her eyes at what he had told her. Then she nodded slowly. Until now, the man had not even glanced in Sephiroth's direction. How oddly convenient.

"Will you be able to get some male clothes as well...?" she asked, and finally the elder turned his head to Sephiroth, whose face was well hidden under his hood. There was a short, yet very visible moment before the man nodded, first looking cold and perhaps even frightened. After the moment passed, however, he looked oddly satisfied that he could be of assistance – as if he was sure a tall, cloaked man would surely be able to improve their chances of messing things up for Shinra.

* * *

**R.R.  
**Reviews R'awesome.


	10. Gold Saucer

Disclaimer: I still don't own Final Fantasy.

...I feel so random today. 8D

* * *

**Gold Saucer - Disclosure**

* * *

The next morning was the worst she'd had in a long time. Sephiroth hadn't used the Sleep spell on her the previous night, probably because he thought he'd be unable to wake her up again (or _maybe _because she was still dead quiet and didn't talk to him, but she doubted that was the reason). Therefore, despite getting up quite late, Mika felt _very_ tired when they left the Inn. The little girl from yesterday had brought them some clothes that would get them into Gold Saucer. At this, however, Sephiroth was not entirely pleased. The girl had brought them _clown costumes_. Thus, with some difficulties, she had managed to ask the villagers if they had other clothes (if she hadn't tried, she had a vague feeling that the clown costumes would end up torn into shreds by a certain sword and its master). They didn't have any other clothes at the moment, though, but they could get some new ones. Mika thanked yes immediately, partially out of fear. Sephiroth had sent more than just a few deadly glares in the direction of those clown costumes already (she hadn't _seen_ the glares – he still wore the cloak and the hood – but she could certainly _feel_ them).

Therefore their stay got a little lengthy.

Mika remained as quiet as possible most of the time and helped making food some more. To her great surprise, the girl told her she didn't have to cut all the food into pieces before boiling them. _Why_ hadn't she told her that _earlier?_ At the girl's words, Mika had flashed a broad smile, saying through her teeth "Don't worry...", but to be frank, it had sounded more like a sinister "_Yoouu little..._".

After yet another night in North Corel, the little girl woke her up with good news. Or, she didn't really wake her up, because Mika was already awake, more tired than ever. At least the new disguises were better than the other ones.

They were going up there as _musicians. _Not both of them, though – only Mika. Sephiroth would be her 'bodyguard'.

Sephiroth wore a black suit and a white, button-up shirt. He didn't have a tie, though, and refused to use the small bow the girl offered him. Instead, he kept the upper button unbuttoned, and on top he sported a black swallow tail jacket. To hide his hair he used the black, baggy cap Mika had bought for him back in Costa del Sol. With some difficulties he managed to put it on and hide his forelocks and bangs underneath it. Even the braid was hidden – Mika thanked him mentally for not combing it out yet. What would happen if, or _when, _he found out that his hair was all frizzy? Finally, he wore the cheap, but big sunglasses she had bought for him earlier (in Costa del Sol). When it came to his Masamune, he covered both in his black cloak and used string to tie it all together. That way, the wrapped weapon looked more like a wrapped cane than anything else.

Mika wore a long, black dress with slits going halfway up her thighs, to her extreme horror and dismay (she found herself holding the slits closed most of the time after putting it on). It went down to her ankles and billowed around her when she walked. Speaking of walking, she had also been given high-heeled shoes, which she had cursed so vigorously (when the villagers had left) that Sephiroth gave a chuckle. Afterwards she had turned quiet again. Returning to the dress, the only thing she liked about it was that she could hide her gun in a holster on her thigh – above the slits – and it would be easy to reach and grab. The little girl had helped her styling her hair in something vaguely similar to a bun, which once again brought back certain memories: What would Sephiroth do after unbraiding the plait? His hair would be _so wavy_...

"...There! All done!" the girl said.

After having a little breakfast, and once they were both ready to go, they exited North Corel by taking the small path leading to Gold Saucer. It was already early afternoon by the time they left. Sephiroth walked behind her, carrying his wrapped weapons on his back with a strap hanging over his chest diagonally. He also held a cello case - in which Mika had stuffed all their items, clothes, materias - and also the Mako blade. Mika trotted behind him. Watching Sephiroth walk in front of her was really strange – he didn't look like Sephiroth at all. That bandana and the sunglasses did a good job shielding his identity. He really _did _look like a bodyguard.

Still, the one taking the greatest risk here was Mika, seeing as her face wasn't covered at all (sunglasses would look suspicious). But as far as she knew, no one had actually seen her _face._...Except for Rufus Shinra, way back in Junon during the... eh... swordsman-show? Either way, Rufus didn't know that _she_ was the one responsible for many of the Mako reactor destructions.

Entering the lift going up to Gold Saucer, the two of them took a seat in the suspended wagon. On the way there they waited in silence. Despite her efforts, though, Mika couldn't contain her excitement. On the way she couldn't help but stare at the shiny, noisy place awaiting them. There were sparkling colors everywhere, roller coasters and attractions, fireworks, people screaming with joy and children pulling their parents along. Balloons and blinking signs, as well as loud music were all over the place and kept her eyes busy until the lift brought them safely to their destination. But even though music still played in the background, it still felt awfully quiet in the lift. Outside the windows, what she noticed the most was the people – they all seemed to be quite happy if she were to judge from the way they smiled and jumped about.

Once she and Sephiroth got off the lift, they were immediately stopped by a funny looking little man wearing a crown-like helmet and a red uniform.

"3000 Gil perr personn, or 30 000 Gil for a liffetime passs!" he said in a surprisingly low voice with a strange, rough accent. Mika tried to smile genuinely as she replied:  
"Um, we were called here by the entertainers. I'm a musician for the show. I was told I'd be granted free entrance..?" she said, feeling guilty for lying.

"Ah! Musician! If dat be the caze, den come vith me!" the little man said, his voice still amazingly dark.

Mika and Sephiroth did as he said, following him inside and walking through endless halls and funny-looking doors, through rooms with games, as well as a battle arena before they finally arrived in front of a very old looking house shrouded in mist and covered with fake spider webs. There were graves and ghosts surrounding it, and green light left spooky shadows all over the place. Mika did her very best to ignore the ghost-like howls and sounds in the background.

"Dis would be de Inn. Since you are a muzician, you kan stay for free. You start playing muzic tomorrow, korrekt? ...Who is your friend?" the little man asked, looking with fascination and suspicion at Sephiroth. He was at least twice as tall as the short man.

"Ah... He's my guard. To get here, I had to travel through some areas with fiends, so I had to hire a guard. He can stay for free as well, right?" Mika asked, hopeful. The little man seemed to give it some thought.

"Vell... I'm sure he kan stay until tumorrow, but after dat, you may haf to pay..." he said hesitantly. Mika thanked him, and he waved goodbye.

* * *

Sephiroth did not like the short man. Something was not simply not right about him. Also, the Inn they were taken to did not look too inviting either. Upon entering the house, which was obviously supposed to resemble a spooky ghost mansion, they were met by a 'vampire'. The green-skinned man greeted them and after Mika explained who they were, he showed the way to a room. If they ignored the spider webs and the small pumpkins, the room was, at the very least, less spooky than the main hall. Other than that the room was quiet enough, which he appreciated. But after the landlord left, he realized something _very_ disturbing.

Although it was one of the largest he had ever seen, there was still only _one_ bed.

Seemingly having noticed the same, Mika tried hiding her frown with by holding one hand on her forehead. Sephiroth turned on his heel and strode to the door – he was going to give that self-proclaimed landlord some words of advice. But when he pulled down the handle...

The door was locked.

"What..?" Mika managed, and he turned to see her walk over to the only window in the room. She tried opening it, but it did not even budge.

"It seems... they find us rather suspicious. Shinra must have ordered their employees to stop anyone who tried to enter, because of what happened in Costa del Sol," he stated in a monotone voice. When she was about to answer, he held up a hand to stop her.

Then, with the efficiency that only a 1st class Soldier could manage (it would not come as a surprise if she had never seen somebody move so confidently and fast – as if knowing exactly where to look), he searched the room for what he thought was hidden there. He ended up finding several bugging devices hidden behind pictures, under the bed and above the window frame. Certain that he had found them all, he showed them to Mika, whose eyes bugged out a little more than usual.

"Are they not overreacting..?" Sephiroth asked suggestively, his voice convincing, yet unfamiliar to himself. He did it on purpose, as the least he wished for was to be recognized. Mika looked at him in question for a second, then she slowly understood.

"...Yeah, seriously! Holding us trapped like this... I'm only a musician," she said in an angry voice (not entirely feigned), but flashed a smirk as she glared at the small microphones in Sephiroth's hand. They had to act their way out of this one and then leave as soon as possible. But from where? All the emergency exits were sure to be guarded, just like the main entrance.

Sephiroth watched Mika sit down on the giant bed, thinking. Apparently, she had forgotten about her be-silent-and-lethargic policy.

They _could_ get out through Corel Prison... The ones down there could not care less if they trespassed.

His thoughts came to a halt as somebody knocked on the door. Sephiroth moved away from it and closer to the bed. At the moment, his own sword was wrapped in the cloak (which was on his back) and the Mako blade was in the cello case. To anybody except himself and Mika, his Masamune looked like a wrapped cane. Still, even without his weapons, hand-to-hand combat would be more than enough for whoever had locked them in there. They were not worth killing with his Masamune.

The door was unlocked and a redhead walked inside at his own leisure, stopping and looking around as if he had everything worth mentioning under his control.

"Yo. Reno here... Sorry for causing you guys trouble," he said nonchalantly, and moved his eyes from Sephiroth to Mika, who narrowed her eyes visibly at the Turk.

"...Oh? Haven't we met before?" he asked, eyeing her. Sephiroth stepped away a little and watched the two of them.  
"No," she responded simply.

"...Heh... Suppose you're taken, then?" the Turk said, glancing in Sephiroth's direction.  
"What are your names?" he asked Sephiroth, turning serious now. For a short moment Sephiroth felt tempted to remove his sunglasses just to see the look on Reno's face, but did not. He had other matters to attend to; better, more important ones.

"I came here to perform tomorrow, but seeing as I'm no longer welcome, I will take my leave," Mika said in an overly arrogant and stiff tone – on purpose – ignoring Reno's question. The redhead looked at her in question, amused. Moving from the bedside, Mika got to her feet and walked towards the door.

That seemed to make Reno a little more disagreeable.

"Oi. You can't just leave, yo. The boss of this place is gonna throw me out if you just walk away," the redhead said, his voice a little louder than before, but Mika ignored him and passed him. Sephiroth picked up the cello case and was about to follow.

Then, right after Mika passed Reno, the redhead grabbed her shoulder firmly and forced her to turn around to face him.

"You aren't going anywhere," he said, a confident expression on his face - as if he was certain he'd caught the culprits he had been looking for.

The redhead's expression faded so quickly that he might as well have died. Sephiroth held one gloved hand around his neck, pinning the Turk to the wall with it. Not tightly, but certainly not weakly. The Turk's face was on the wall and he tried - and failed - looking over his shoulder.

"...That is hardly for you to decide, Turk. Locking us in here was a very rude thing indeed, and it is only natural for us to leave after being treated in such a manner," he said, perfectly calm. His voice was controlled, yet cold, and Reno did not move an inch while he spoke. But once Sephiroth finished, Reno picked up his weapon from a pocket in less than an instant. The metal baton sparked when the man was about to thrust it backwards.

Upon realizing it was a stun baton, Sephiroth withdrew his hand and pulled back. Reno jerked around, the baton already sparkling again in a wave of electricity that could have hit Sephiroth's hand. This situation would have been much easier without Mika, and without that stupid cello case with all their eqipment. To add to it all, he doubted Reno would wait nicely while he removed the tape and the cloak from his Masamune. Though Sephiroth himself was immune to elemental magic normally, his materia was now in the previously mentioned cello box, which only annoyed him even more.

He doubted Reno was planning to let them go, even if they didn't use weapons. Sephiroth's grip around his neck earlier had seemingly made Reno realize that Mika was not really a musician.

Which meant that this would not take long.

When Reno dashed in his direction, Sephiroth grabbed the cello case from where he had dropped it earlier and used it as a shield against Reno's baton. As Reno pulled back, Sephiroth once again dropped the case and kicked the redhead square in the stomach, sending him into the wall a second time. Once he was on his knees on the floor, Sephiroth swiftly lowered just enough to grab the baton, which had fallen to the floor as well, and hit Reno in the head with it. The sound upon impact was rather loud, but the man would live. Sephiroth glanced at the weapon in his hand. It was, if anything, _handy._ He should bring it along.

In one fast move he picked up the cello case with their belongings and moved out through the door. Mika was waiting for him in the hall, right outside the room, and together they ran down the stairs. The landlord looked at them with wide eyes as they continued outside. As things were, they had many options as to where they could go next. Sephiroth chose the first one and Mika followed. Afterhalf a minute of running, a flashy sign told them that they had arrived at the 'Battle Arena'. Mika followed him up the long stairs that would lead them to the main hall of the arena. Sephiroth did not run too fast, as that would leave Mika far behind. Once they were on top of the stairs, however, he came to an abrupt halt.

"...This..." he started, his voice amused. Mika, breathing heavily, looked past him.

There were around twenty Shinra guards a fair distance away from them, standing in half a circle, all with their guns pointed at the two of them.

"Drop your weapons!" one of the guards ordered. Doubting that the stun baton would be of any help (since it was a short-distance weapon), Sephiroth threw it. Not to the floor, though - he aimed for the head of the person who ordered them to _drop their weapons_. The man was knocked out cold – fainting instantly upon being hit in the head.

How pathetically easy.

"Ho-Hold your hands where we can see them!" another one exclaimed, not quite as calm as the first one. Sephiroth smirked. They were like fiends; thinking they could take him down even after one of them was knocked out right in front of them. Only because he and Mika were outnumbered, those guards underestimated them. Then he remembered the cave between the Chocobo Ranch and Fort Condor, and how he had used his energy to frighten the fiends in there. Would the same work with these guards? Or would they somehow recognize his energy?

"I said _hold your hands where we can see them!?_" the guard repeated, more nervous and impatient now. In the corner of an eye he could see Mika shifting. Despite that, her face was in a determined frown. He rose his arms very slowly, watching the guards through his dark sunglasses.

At the same moment, a helicopter came from behind. That was his chance.

While raising his arms he let out massive amounts of energy, letting it all flow away from him. It instantly created a forceful pressure that left a strong, steady wind blowing away from him in all directions. He watched the guards as they covered their faces with their hands. The sound of breaking glass was heard from somewhere nearby and he watched the cello case beside him fall to the ground. If these humans were as foolish as they appeared to be, they all probably thought this phenomenon was caused by the wind from the helicopter, or somehow by the _people_ aboard the helicopter. The men in front of them - overwhelmed - swayed before falling, one by one. He felt Mika's hand on his shoulder as she supported herself from falling. Her dress billowed around her, nearly exposing her hidden gun.

Then his sunglasses cracked.

Sephiroth instantly eased the flow of energy and grabbed the instrument case from the floor. He threw a glance sideways at Mika and before the guards could recover, or even comprehend what had happened, both of them dashed forward and ran past them. The helicopter behind them still hovered in the air.

Glancing over his shoulder as he ran, he saw Mika following him, somewhat unsteadily on her high heels. Behind her, in the helicopter, he saw some guards aiming at them with guns. Snipers? _How troublesome._ Once again he looked forward, his eyes fixed on the main doors leading to the 'Battle Arena' itself. Some bullets passed him and hit the large doors and the door frame in front of him, and some even hit the case he held. He did not let go, though, and opened the door once he got close enough. After making his way inside, shortly followed by a distraught and still quite amusing Mika, he came to a halt.

It pleased him to see there were no one in there and he once again moved forward. He ran past the large fighting area and tried to open the emergency exit. But it was locked. This time he did not let that fact keep him from opening it; he stepped back and kicked it open, then watched as it fell off its hinges and landed in front of him with a smash.

Behind the door there were some winding stairs awaiting them – it went down as far as they could see. He knew where they led to: Corel Prison. The prison was right below Gold Saucer and was the place where thieves and criminals were sent to if they were caught doing things they shouldn't in Gold Saucer. It was in the middle of the desert, so none of them were able to escape. Unless they were skilled, that is.

Upon hearing the guards finally coming after them through the large door behind them, he and Mika continued onwards through the small door and down the stairs.

Being Sephiroth, he did not get dizzy easily at all. Even as he walked down the spiralling stairs, he remained calm and controlled. Not once did he slow down. While still running, he opened the cello case and pulled out the Mako blade, then shut the case again. Mika would not need a sword, nor materia, as she already had a gun (or two). Thanks to their high speed, it did not take long before they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. By then, Mika was visibly dizzy, but not overly so. They were in a rather small room with only one door. Sephiroth moved forward to open it.

"Ah-" he heard and stopped dead. Then he turned around slowly, frustration already flowing in his mind.

A Turk was holding Mika in a death-grip, his arm locked around her neck. The Turk was bald and wore sunglasses that were a little smaller than his own. If he was not mistaken, this had to be Rude. Sephiroth glanced back to the door, pondering whether he should just leave Mika behind. Then again, she could spill the truth about his identity if he just left her – that is, if they had not already found out... Not _all _humans were as stupid as they seemed.

Then... Should he...

_...kill her, too?_

The thought came from Jenova. As it entered his mind, he frowned. Something told him that would be a bad idea. Before his thoughts could ponder the reason behind that, though, movement caught his eyes again. With Rude's arm still around her neck, Mika moved her hand to her thigh and found the gun she had hidden in the holster there. Then she pointed it straight at Rude's forehead. He froze.

"Can you let go? Please?" Mika said in a voice that made it clear that she did not want to shoot him at all. That was a mistake, as Rude calmed down.

But before the Turk could do anything else, Sephiroth moved up to them in an instant and put his gloved hand on top of Mika's, which held the gun. Now Mika was situated between the two of them. Seeing as both he and Mika now held the gun pointed to his head, the silent Turk froze completely, not even breathing. Sephiroth had left the large instrument case by the door, but still held onto the Mako blade with his _other_ hand, holding it right next to Rude's throat. There they were, the two of them with a gun and a sword pointed on the Turk, and Rude with an arm around Mika's neck, ready and strong enough to break it with a simple, quick twist. Neither of them moved.

Sephiroth heard a mass of movement from above and jerked his head up to see guards running down the stairs. While doing so, they all aimed their guns at them. Sephiroth frowned as the stairs above filled with filthy guards, all whose aims were disgustingly inaccurate despite the short range. Guessing it was because they were dizzy from running around and around down the stairs, Sephiroth's annoyance only increased.

The redhead from before appeared as well, holding his stomach. He looked rather displeased and pale, but upon seeing them, he forced a grin to his face. The scene seemed to amuse Reno rather a lot and he approached the three persons with a wry grin. With countless guns pointed at the criminals in front of him, Reno did obviously not fear them. He watched Sephiroth for some long seconds, then moved his gaze to Mika and eyed her. After observing them silently for a while, he spoke.

"So... Wanna admit your mistakes before I start exaggerating them?" he asked in a triumphant way, then moved until he was only inches from Mika's face.

"...Have to admit, though, we thought _you_ did it all on your own, little bird. Who'd have thought you had a friend? You have anything to say for your defence?" he asked, a wide smirk on his face. She only glared back.

"I'm not a _bird,_" she growled. Reno gave a short 'hn' at this, and bent even closer. Then he tilted his head, watching her with a bored look on his face. She stared back, her vision partly blurred by some of her hair that had loosened from her braid. Reno nonchalantly took hold of her currently loose braid and combed it out in one single move, leaving her hair slightly wavy.

Then Sephiroth's sunglasses suddenly cracked completely and broke.

As the glasses fell to the floor, his burning jade orbs were revealed – his pupils jet black slits.

It seemed to take forever for the glasses to get to the ground. Sephiroth frowned deeply. As the ones surrounding them recognized him, one by one, their eyes widened in shock. Reno looked at him in disbelief and stepped back as if stung. Then, before they had a chance to recover, Mika kicked one of Reno's legs and he fell. Without stopping, her leg continued and swung back to Rude and kicked him in the knee. He did not fall, but lost his balance and let go of her.

Then she dove forward in the direction of the exit. On her way she grabbed hold of the cello case. Sephiroth, now revealed, dealed Rude a roundhouse kick when the man came too close after his fast recovery from Mika's kick. The guards seemed to be at loss of words and simply stared as the scene unfolded. Their ignorance of the recent events would eventually lead them to the mercy of his malice if they did not stop their stupidity any time soon. Without someone to yell orders at them, they were not sure what to do. Just as some of them loaded their weapons and pointed at him again, he dashed past Mika (who, for some reason, waited for him) and kicked the exit door off its hinges, not caring whether it was locked or not. On his way out, Sephiroth tore off the hat he wore – letting his forelocks and braid free – not waiting for anyone else.

* * *

**R.R.**

(-gasp!-) Sephiroth is revealed! (for the second time...)


	11. Corel Prison

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy today either.

Some Jenova-ish stuff this time...

* * *

**Corel Prison - Departure**

* * *

The second Mika and Sephiroth ran through the door, they headed to the left and in between the many buildings there (Mika trying her best to keep up). Luckily for them it was already very late in the afternoon, which meant it was slightly darker than usual. The sun had just disappeared from sight, leaving the small alleys down there dark enough to use for hiding. Once they were between two old houses, Sephiroth threw the Mako blade to her and unwrapped his own from the cloak on his back. Meanwhile, Mika opened the cello case and looked as if she wondered whether or not to hide the Mako blade. She could use it, but only as a shield. Wielding it as a weapon was out of the question for somebody like her – for now, her gun would have to do. So she put the Mako blade in the case. Before she got to close it, though, Sephiroth's arms snapped into it and picked out a materia.

To Mika's surprise, the guards had yet to come for them. Were they planning something? Like surrounding them? Or were they afraid?

"Why aren't they coming after us?" she asked as Sephiroth stood up straight and looked over the area, his back facing her. With the swallow-tail suit and tie-less white shirt, he looked an awful lot like some mafia-person – especially with that silver braid. At least he wasn't wearing that shady hat anymore.

"...They are calling for reinforcements," he stated, his voice dark. Mika watched him look around before he crossed the street. Mika followed, not quite as smoothly as him, but remained unnoticed (which was weird, because she was dragging the cello case along, which was heavy enough). Once she was at his side, this time in an even darker alley, she saw the deep frown on his face. It made her feel guilty. As if she was the one to blame. What would have happened if she had bought some expensive sunglasses in stead of just cheap ones? Would they have broken? Probably not. Would Sephiroth have been recognized? Probably not. Then again, there was his height, his strength and his voice... But...

"...Sorry," she said in a whisper, looking down. He stopped for a moment to look at her, but turned away again, still scowling.

* * *

Sephiroth looked away from her and out from where they hid. She had said she was sorry. Why? For not being able to shoot Rude when she should have?

"Sorry for getting you into this mess. You wouldn't have been spotted if you were on your own..." she said, barely audible.

That was not correct.

In fact, he would most likely have been spotted earlier without her. From the first time they met, no matter how cold his thoughts were that time, his temper had started to become slightly more controlled (even though he had been thoroughly annoyed for a long time – even now). He had become somewhat calmer. If it were not for her – the annoying Mika – he could have killed that man at the Chocobo Ranch. He could also have killed the villagers of Mideel. Even the guards in Junon. Eventually, his identity _had _to be revealed. The destructive nature of Jenova longed for nothing but malice and agony, and he doubted that she could stay silent for too long at a time. It did not matter how much he tried to deny it; Mika had calmed him, which in turn made him able to control Jenova to a greater extent than before. In a way, staying close to her worked as some sort of _training_. That said, she was still annoying. Annoying, indeed.

But he had to admit that now, with Shinra knowing he was alive, things could at the very least not worsen. They would send people to kill him or capture him, yes, but he no longer had to conceal his identity.

That made things much easier.

Sephiroth's eyes stopped upon spotting a round fiend hovering in the air not far away. It gave him an idea. He brought out the single materia he had taken from the cello case and used a Manipulate spell. The fiend froze in mid-air. Being ordered to come closer to Sephiroth, the fiend slowly made its way to the dark alley.

"Find the cloak," he told Mika. She opened the case and found the black cloak that she had put inside only moments before.

"...Put in on top of the fiend," he ordered, and she looked at him in question. As he did not reply, she did as he said and made sure the cloak would not fall off when the fiend moved. Sephiroth made the cloak-covered creature fly up into the air. Helicopters were already approaching, obviously trying to surround them completely. Below on the sandy ground, the bandits and thieves had no clue about what was going on and hid in their dirty, small homes. Then, as the helicopters came close enough, he made the fiend fly up as fast as it could – then he forced the fiend to go past the flying machines and away from Corel Prison.

All the pilots saw was a black cloak flying by, and several of the helicopters turned on the spot and followed it. The plan had been to make them think _he_ was under that cloak, and he watched his plan succeed as almost all of the helicopters flew away after it. Then he heard guards approaching on foot.

"Take the case with you and get to the fences. They should be easy enough to break through. Do not lose anything on your way," he said, and Mika looked at him, bewildered.

"But the _desert_-" she started, but was interrupted as they heard shooting. Quickly deciding to do as he told her, she grabbed the cello case and left. Sephiroth would come for the materia and his other belongings later, but for now he needed to distract the Shinra guards.

How bothersome.

He jumped up and landed on the roof of the old building behind which he had hidden seconds earlier. From there he moved swiftly from house to house, occasionally dodging bullets with Masamune as he moved in the opposite direction of Mika. The guards followed him, shooting randomly at will. The colors of their uniforms made it easy for him to see who were skilled and who were not. Even those whose uniforms claimed they were of high rank did not pose a problem. With his long sword in hand – which pleased him immensely after such a long time without wielding it – he jumped down from the roof he was currently on and landed on the ground.

If they came too close, his Masamune would become their bane. The simplest thing to accomplish in the world was malice, and so there were no fortresses, nor any armor that could stand up to the anger of his blade. There never was, and would never be anyone strong enough.

Not far away from him was a man. He sat in front of a small building and seemed to be some sort of merchant; a strong contrast to the dull-looking soldiers who were approaching. Sephiroth ran in his direction and grabbed an item from the man's nearly empty table. It was a smoke bomb. What better way to kill the ignorant guards than to deprive them of their lives in a cloud of dirty smoke, only suitable for the slaughter of the pathetic likes of men such as themselves? Jenova spoke in his ear, her hushed mumbles and muttered whispers running to his mind with numbing speed.

The bomb was quite simple, but also very effective, because it would trigger complete chaos for whoever ran into it. Sephiroth dropped the bomb, and while the few arrived guards were blinded, he ran in one direction with his sword raised and ready to slice through any hindrance, be it man or fiend. However, there were no one waiting in his path through the smoke, so he disappeared into an alley and stayed low. He had yet to use his sword at all – the mere thought made him frown deeply, his eyes narrowed and his jade orbs burning from the increasing control that Jenova stole from him. On his way back towards where he and Mika had parted, he met no other guards. He tried to ignore it, and attempted not to offer it any attention.

But _still..._

After running for some minutes, the sky becoming darker by the minute and Sephiroth angrily glancing back over his shoulder more than he should, a door into one of the houses opened right in front of him. It happened so quickly he almost ran into it and he came to an abrupt halt. He pointed his sword into the small, dark house, his muscles quivering out of the pure adrenaline Jenova stirred in him. This was his chance to kill again.

"It's me – Mika!" he heard a light voice claim, breaking on the last word. A sudden feeling of disappointment ran through his body, and the excitement he had felt earlier disappeared along with the adrenaline. After glancing over his shoulder yet again, to seeif there were any guards nearby, he slowly entered. Though it was hard to see much in the dark room, he could tell that Mika had changed into her own clothes. The cello case was open and was currently positioned on the dirty floor. Mika pointed towards a door leading to an even smaller room in the house, silently asking whether he wanted to change into his own clothes as well. In his mind, he could feel Jenova tugging at him in all possible ways. He was still tense.

Trying to calm himself, he answered her unspoken suggestion by lowering his sword. The suit he wore had bothered him for quite some time, though he had not told Mika so. Without a word he grabbed his clothes from the cello case and moved into the smallest room. In less than half a minute he changed, pleased to wear his own clothes; the fine leather felt smooth against his skin and the shoulders of the outfit protected more than the entire swallow tail suit had done altogether. Not that he actually needed protection.

Afterwards he returned to the room in which Mika was and picked up his materia as well as his few items.

Much to his dismay, one materia was broken. It probably happened on the way to the Battle Arena, when the cello case was hit by a bullet - or was it two? Either way, they must have hit that one materia. The broken shards had no color, nor glow, but he could tell that it had been a Restore materia.

"I didn't know where the fences were, so I just hid in here..." Mika said in a hushed voice, a little guilty – or was she nervous?

"...Hm," he replied. Now that they no longer needed the cello case, matters would - again - become easier. All he needed to do now was to wait until Shinra had calmed down somewhat. If they did not, massacre would end up on his mental list of things to attend to. Jenova would surely remind him of that.

Clenching his teeth, Sephiroth stood completely still and simply listened. He did not need to open the door to know guards were all over the place at the moment. The sound of people running past the small house told him they were still searching for him and Mika. Somebody occasionally shouted orders and the sounds of returning helicopters informed them that his little trick was revealed. They would be stuck here for a while. That is, unless he went out there and killed them all. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. That's right. He was already revealed. Why not kill them all and get it over with? He once again felt something tug at his mind and knew Jenova was stirring; ready.

Was it her or him who wanted to kill those people? Or was it the both of them?

"Listen... It stopped..." Mika said in a whisper, and Sephiroth's train of thought came to a halt. The sound of running men had stopped, if only for a very short while. But the helicopters were still in the air.

There was a chance Shinra most thought the two of them had already escaped. That meant they would lower their guard considerably in this area. Once they had lowered it enough, he and Mika could leave. He frowned as his thoughts came running back, settling into his mind like heavy weights, once again making him feel tense.

As the minutes passed, he kept wondering if he should just walk out and kill them. It would be so disturbingly easy; they did not even stand a chance. Not when he had his sword and materias. And while he was at it, he could put the place on fire to save precious time. More people would die faster that way. Sephiroth shook his head once, as if trying to rid himself of his thoughts. Killing everyone would seem rather desperate, would not it? _No. It will mean you are strong. _Jenova stirred again, but he paid no attention.

Jenova was not in control of him – she had never been. In fact, _he _was the one who controlled _her._ And killing all the people in Corel Prison was definitely a major waste of time, and besides it would be a barbaric thing to do. Sephiroth had been called a villain many times, but he was not some berserk creature who did not think. Not entirely human, yet not at all a _creature_. Killing them would, indeed, seem desperate. And he was not desperate. Slaying people like that was something he would only do if he gave in to Jenova, whose mind would only be satisfied if she could see destruction.

_...Like in Nibelheim. And certain other places. _

Sephiroth threw his sword away in an attempt to stop his thoughts from slipping out of control, his outer appearance still calm, yet dark. Mika flinched and watched him stand there in the middle of the room. If he could not stop his thoughts, what would that make him? That would make him _weak._ Therefore, he took a deep breath and sat down. Once sitting there on the ground, with his arms resting on his knees, he shut his eyes and waited.

...And kept waiting. From somewhere that seemed very far away, he could sense Mika sit down as well. He lost track of time sitting like that; he did not think at all. He just listened intently, with his burning eyes closed.

As time passed, he noticed Mika move again. She shifted every now and then, but in the end she just settled down on the floor. It surprised him when a light suddenly appeared in the room. When he turned to watch the tiny window high on the wall, there was sunlight flowing inside.

_Morning._

It was odd having the morning come so soon. Why had they not left before? The guards would probably come back soon to search for them again now that sunlight lit their way. He got to his feet and dusted his clothes, still feeling slightly tense, and then rolled his shoulders briefly. As Mika moved, he stopped again and slowly turned to her. Her tired hazel eyes fluttered open and she sat up, looking weary in the dim light.

"Morning, Sephiroth..." she mumbled tiredly, as if it was the most natural thing to say after destroying Mako reactors, running across almost two continents, dressing up to avoid Shinra, being recognized by Shinra and then being chased down by Shinra – all done side by side with himself, Sephiroth, the most feared man who had walked upon the soil of the Planet.

...Come to think of it, that was the first time she had said his name out aloud. That is, if he did not count in 'Smith'. She seemed to notice it as well, and her expression turned... strange.

"Sephiroth... S_eph_ir_oth_. Hm..." she tried, and he narrowed his eyes. Somehow, hearing her say that took all seriousness out of the situation. Then she shook her head slightly, as if it all sounded wrong, and got to her feet in a sleepy manner. Her back made some strange sounds as she stretched and she frowned upon hearing them. Even so, it did not seem to bother her too much.

Then Sephiroth left and she followed him, the Mako blade in her hand, since they left behind the cello case.

When they exited the small house, everything was disturbingly quiet. Not a soul was out there. Not that it bothered him; this fact just made things easier. For once, Mika lead the way. They wandered for some time, though, as she did not know where the fences circling Corel Prison were. He did not bother doing anything about it. Frankly, he felt rather indifferent after a long night of thinking about _nothing, _although he probably should be a little more careful. Still, being more careful could make him tense again, and thus more likely to go on a rampage. And as it were, he did not wish to lose control like that. When they finally found the fences, the sun had risen high enough for the temperature to be noticeably high.

He watched Mika make her way over the fence with slight amusement. The fence itself was not tall, but somehow resembled a bush of barbed wires and old, dry wood. Though Mika did quite well, her way of getting to the other side was rather unusual. The barbed parts of the fence seemed to trouble her. After more than just a few seconds, she made it through to the other side, her sleeves scratched and her face only half content.

...Making sure Mika watched him, Sephiroth rose from the ground and levitated right above it for some long moments, then he flew slowly over to the other side, keeping his face devoid of emotions and expressions.

That eventually proved to be hard, though, since Mika looked absolutely flabbergasted. Her stupefied look turned even more entertaining when her jaw slowly dropped open as she tried to find something to say.

"_You_- I had to- and you-" she stammered, pointing at the fence (which had some familiar-looking coat fabric on some of the barbs) and then him. He found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not hold back his small smirk. This made Mika frown deeply and she crossed her arms.

"You thought that was funny, did you?" she snarled.  
"...I only find myself amazed that you did not remember I possess that certain ability," he said in a calm voice, still smirking. Her eyebrow twitched slightly at that. But she was fighting her laughter; he could see it.

"You could have offered to fly me over!" she exclaimed, and he could see she was very close to start laughing now by the way her mouth twitched upwards while she spoke.  
"I would have, but you seemed quite set on doing it your own way. Consider that payback for the petty sunglasses," he said, and she sighed in defeat.

But then it was _her_ turn to smirk.

"...Guess what I put in the cello case this morning," she mumbled. He could not have cared less. After all, they had already left that case behind.  
"This," Mika said, and found a package from one of the pockets in her black coat.

"_Food. _I'm not giving _you_ any, though," she said.

...Did she think he was some sort of animal?

Sephiroth turned and walked away, into the desert that surrounded Corel Prison, listening as the sand shifted behind him when Mika followed.

Then he realized he no longer needed her. After all, he was perfectly capable of finding food for himself after this. And the reactors would not be hard to take out. Not even the resources Shinra put into security would stop him. He would not need Mika as a decoy either, not anymore, and if they caught her that would not matter. They already knew who he was and that he was alive. No extra information she gave them would be of help, nor would it be dangerous for him.

He could just leave her behind.

That would make things so much easier. She would not be happy about it, but that did not matter. Having her with him only slowed him down. No matter how much he tried to deny it, she had made him go soft (and oddly enough, yesterday – or earlier today – that had been something he had appreciated to some degree). That was something he could not let continue. Sephiroth's grip on his Masamune tightened. It was all quite simple; all he had to do was leave her behind. With this decision clear in his mind, he stopped and turned to Mika. He proceeded by rising slowly from the sand and levitating right above it – in front of Mika. She stopped, watching him with barely visible uneasiness.

Then something occurred to him.

He could not leave. There was something he had not thought of yet – some way she could be of use – that he had not thought of yet. He narrowed his jade eyes as he gazed into her hazel ones.

_Don't think, just leave. _

...And he did.

But not before diving down and hoisting Mika over his shoulder first.

With her screaming like some stung pig, clutching onto him in every way possible, he took off. He knew he should regret it, but listening to her screaming was actually far more amusing than seeing her struggle over that fence. With the question 'why' still etched in his mind, he continued flying at high speed over the desert landscape. One reason for taking her with him could be for entertainment, of course. Perhaps the second reason was her food (after all, it was less troublesome to leave food business to her rather than having to find food on his own). And the third reason could be that she disliked Shinra, just like himself. But he doubted she disliked it as much as he did. Those were all the reasons he needed for now.

"Sto-Stop! Sephi_rot_!" he heard, and arched an eyebrow. Sephi_rot_?

"...No, Mike," he countered, instantly realizing that lacked fantasy, and rose even higher up into the air. This time she did not scream, but he felt her hold on to him even more, her hands clutching the fabric of his coat from where she hung over his shoulder. That was not the only thing – he also felt his braid swing back and forth, occasionally whipping his back because of the wind. It probably bothered Mika too, but he did not really worry about that.

"Unbraid my hair, Mike," he said and felt her shift uncomfortably. He did not need the braid now that Shinra knew about him.  
"You sure? I don't want to let go of you. Uh, I mean, your back. Or clothes. NO! What I _mean_ to say is, I don't want to let go because I can fall off!" she ranted loudly. Was she hiding something? He still held his sword in one hand and supported Mika with the other, which made it rather hard for him to remove the braid himself.

Therefore, he let go of Mika.

In one swift movement, while the screaming (or roaring) Mika fell towards the ground, he removed the band from his hair and quickly combed out the braid with his free hand. Then he dove down to 'pick up' Mika again before she actually landed on the ground. The instant she landed on his back, her knees at his hips, she grabbed his shoulders tightly. After some short moments, she started blowing and moving his hair out of her face.

"...Oh, thank _goodness..._ Your hair is all right! It isn't wavy..." he heard her mutter. That was not exactly what he had expected her to say after being dropped from such an alititude.  
"Why would my hair be _wavy?_" he questioned, glancing back to see if his hair was not its usual self. If such a thing ever happened, he would drop her off again. Then again, perhaps Jenova's cells had something to do with his not-so-wavy hair.

"Uh... Well, hair usually gets curly and frizzy after wearing it in a braid for a long period of time, right? So..." she tracked off, once again shifting on his back to avoid getting his hair in her face.

"Seriously! Your hair is everywhere!" she complained, then moved her head to his right shoulder to avoid it. There, she remained still. For a long time flying above the desert, she only looked around, getting used to the feeling of moving fast in mid-air.

"Wow... This isn't half bad. Some view..." she said, and in the corner of an eye he could see her wide smile as she looked down to below them. He could not quite see what was so fantastic about the orange sand down there, but did not mention it.  
"I can't believe I'm actually sitting on the back of the famous Sephiroth... That must be the first time in history, right? Has anyone else ever tried it?" she asked, annoying him.

"Yes," he said simply. This answer struck her dumb for a few full seconds.

"Eh?! Who?" she exclaimed, and bent forward to get a better view of his face. He narrowed his eyes and moved his head back slightly to look at her.

Did she think she had _walked_ from Costa del Sol to Mount Corel in her sleep?  
"...You," he said in a bored manner. This made her eyes widen, and she pulled back to his shoulder again. This left them in silence as she obviously tried to remember _when _previously mentioned piggyback ride had taken place.

Sephiroth had already decided on their next destination. After leaving the desert, they would go to one of the newest reactors of them all, the Gongaga Mako reactor. The new reactor had been built next to the old, broken one. He knew the security would be much higher than before by far, especially now that Shinra knew Mika was not the only one who destroyed reactors. This meant he would have to plan the destruction of this reactor very carefully. Therefore, they did not head directly south (in the direction of Gongaga), but south-east instead, towards the only house within miles: the Weapon Seller's house.

Sephiroth just hoped the man would not call Shinra when he saw them coming.  
If he did, Sephiroth's malice would find its mark to aim for, as well as a reason to deal the blow.

* * *

**R.R.**

Ta-dah!

I forgot what to write here. Reviews will most certainly be loved and treated well.


	12. Gongaga

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy yet.

Poor things. I barely feed them at all. Perhaps it's time for a change?

* * *

**Gongaga - Alternatives**

* * *

_Flying_ all the way to the Weapon Seller's house was never an option. The chances of being spotted (and chased and bothered in all other ways) were too high. It was important that he came up with plan before heading for the next reactor. Therefore, Sephiroth flew away from Corel Prison and out of the desert, but stopped as soon as they had passed the largest river in the area. From there they had to walk. Every time a Shinra helicopter passed above them, they made sure it did not spot them. Flying made them very vulnerable, as even normal Shinra guards could spot them and tell their superiors of their whereabouts.

Thus, while planning the attack on the Gongaga reactor, they avoided all contact with Shinra. Sephiroth dismissed the thought of killing them as they came, because that would create more racket than necessary.

He vaguely wondered if Cloud and the rest of the Avalanche team knew he was alive yet. It would not surprise him if they did. However, that did not bother him too much. If he met with Cloud only once, Sephiroth would offer him the grudge he held against him. They would fight and the strongest would win. Meanwhile, he was stuck with watching Mika's odd way of jogging. She did very well in the beginning, but as she got tired, it was like watching someone walk fast in a sloppy manner. He had considered giving her some advice, but dismissed it as watching her like this was far more amusing.

"Sephiroth, can't you give me some hints, at least? Just one or two? I feel so _inferior_ when I watch your supernatural walking. It looks like your feet just graze the ground and let you float ahead," she said, looking down to his feet.

He stopped and watched her, still amused. It could not hurt trying. She was asking for it.

"...Feeling inferior is good for you. Concerning the correct method of walking, your back should be straight, but not stiff like yours. Also, you should not concentrate so much. Walking comes naturally," he said and then continued walking. Mika followed him. She gradually stopped using her arms too much and tried doing as he said.

"And do not watch the ground right in front of you. Look far ahead," he added as an afterthought. Then, seconds later, a hand appeared in front of him, holding out a wrapped toast.

"Thanksh. Shorry it'sh not warm," Mika said, her words muffled by the food she had already started eating. He would have been disgusted if it hadn't been for her overly warm expression. The toast she offered him, however, was gone before she could blink. The wrapping paper was left in her hand in a silent thanks.  
"...Wow. How ish that posshible?" she asked, her mouth still full.

"I require food, just like most other living creatures," he said in a dark voice, trying to ignore the fact that she was still speaking to him with her mouth full of toast.

The two of them kept walking, occasionally sharing a few words. Mika did most of the talking and every now and then he would comment her opinions, which often led to awkward silences. Eventually the morning turned into noon, and the noon lasted until afternoon, with a few stops along the way. Sephiroth had a vague plan already, but it lacked details. He found his water bottle, and much to his dismay, he emptied the already nearly empty bottle in only seconds.

He considered asking Mika if she had some, but did not, because it seemed they were finally at their destination. The house of the Weapon Seller was not far away, and the two of them sped up not to waste time. Once there, Sephiroth was about to just walk in there, but Mika knocked on the door before he came close enough to open it. Only seconds later, the door opened a little and the man inside glanced out the with suspicious eyes. After seeing Mika, he opened the door wide. However, when Sephiroth followed her inside, his eyes bulged out.

"You..." he said, seemingly _trying_ to remember (which was odd). The last time Sephiroth had been here was when he had been searching for the Ancient Key. He had not found it, but Cloud had. The weapon seller shook his head slowly. Living out here in the wasteland did obviously not help much. He was so isolated that he simply had no idea that Sephiroth was what most other humans on the Planet called 'villain' or 'antagonist'. All because he lived out here, away from others. That made the situation easier, though, as he let them stay over. He even asked Sephiroth's name, since Sephiroth looked so familiar. To that, Mika replied for him with "Smith".

But that did not mean the man was too fond of Sephiroth. And Sephiroth returned that favor. Neither of the two paid attention to each other after that short exchange of formalities.

The man (who did not bother sharing his name) even made them food, which Sephiroth ate only after reassuring himself that it was not poisoned. He started eating after the man did, and while the man chatted with Mika, he worked some more on his plan for tomorrow. He could not afford making any mistakes. His Restore materia had been broken back in Gold Saucer when Shinra attacked them. He knew Mika had a Restore materia as well, but it was nowhere near mastered, and could only be used for minor healing spells. Failure was unacceptable, and any less than accomplishment would be considered _human, _which Sephiroth strongly disapproved of at the moment.

The two of them would get rid of the Gongaga reactor quickly, then immediately continue west. Shinra would believe they were going straight for the next reactor after that, but they would not. That would be foolish and predictable, and not to mention rash. If there was one thing Sephiroth had mastered on his journey with Mika, it had to be _patience._ He had learned it the annoying way, yes, but it had been for the best. It was wiser to wait.

But the main problem was still bothering him. _How_ would they destroy the Mako reactor? They could use summons or magic, but either way they had to get inside the reactor to break it. This reactor was rumored to be stronger than most of the others in order to handle the pressure of Mako surplus flowing in the area. If it were not for the armored walls, they could have taken out the reactor from a distance. But this one was not that easy.

"...and after hearing that a silver-haired man had been here, the chocobo-haired man waltzed out again without a word," the man finished. Sephiroth guessed he spoke about Cloud and himself. A tale of the past, when both of them had searched for the Ancient Key.  
"Really? That's quite lucky. To get two famous visitors almost at the same time," Mika said. The man first looked clueless, but then decided that it was okay to swell with pride, and he grinned. Sephiroth frowned, finding him annoying.

"Oh, did I tell you about the time I saw a golden chocobo?" the man asked, gazing at Mika, holding no interest in Sephiroth whatsoever. The man had obviously not seen a woman in a while, Sephiroth concluded. At least he could plan in peace.

Later that evening the man prepared beds for them and bid them goodnight. Sephiroth sat on the edge of his bed, still thinking, when Mika spoke up.

"Can you cast Sleep on me? Please? I'm so tired..." she complained, smiling apologetically. Sephiroth absent-mindedly complied and did as she requested. In the corner of an eye he saw her fall to her side as she fell asleep, a peaceful expression caressing her features. She should not ask him to do that too often. For all he knew, she could become immune to that spell in the end. Using spells just like that was not good for her.

Sephiroth had yet to sleep at all.

Truth be told, he had not slept since before the Nibelheim incident. He had settled into a habit of only resting, so that he could always be alert and on guard. Tonight he did not even rest, nor did he plan. He just listened, being on constant guard. The weapon seller could be in league with Shinra for all he knew, and he could not allow that to lead to trouble. At the slightest sound he became alert, in case helicopters or less noisy things would get too close to the house.

He kept sitting there, even when morning took the place of night. The weapon seller made breakfast in the background, which he ended up eating by himself, as Mika didn't wake up and Sephiroth remained where he was on his bed. When Mika finally _did_ wake up, it was early noon. Realizing she had slept in, a pleased smile came upon her features, making her look extremely content and peaceful. At this, Jenova stirred inside him again. Being a creature whose goal was to only destroy, Mika's mere presence plagued her.

As she sat down to eat, the weapon seller once again engaged her by chatting with her like he had done the evening before. If Sephiroth was not mistaken, the man seemed to have taken interest in her. Sephiroth sat down to eat as well and made them both aware he was present by clearing his voice every time the weapon seller bent too close to Mika with that unfitting lopsided grin of his. Mika looked as if she was oblivious to his possible intentions, relishing in the food.

* * *

The weapon seller was too friendly. At least in her opinion. Therefore, she was grateful when Sephiroth occasionally cleared his voice while eating. That made the man in front of her back away somewhat. And gawsh, the food was delicioumazing-tastic.

That wasn't the only thing she was grateful for, though. Back in the desert outside Corel Prison, she had thought Sephiroth would leave her behind when he suddenly rose from the sand. For some seconds he had just watched her, as if pondering his options. Then, before she could grasp what happened, he had thrown her over his shoulder and flown away. She may have screamed a lot at that time, but that didn't mean she wasn't thankful. In fact, she was _very _grateful to him for taking her along.

Also, she was getting attached to him in a way. Getting attached to the infamous 1st Class ex-Soldier Sephiroth, who had killed more than just a single person, was _not_ good. But that didn't stop her.

In the past Mika had looked up to him – up until that incident in Nibelheim. After that, she had tried to force herself to let go. Then the brilliant idea of messing up Shinra had crossed her mind (a great distraction), and then, ironically enough, she met him in person. And now she was starting to look up to him again.

_How does he _do _that?_

While her thoughts wandered, the weapon seller had somehow gotten _very _close. Mika jerked her head backwards in surprise, and the man did the same, surprised by her sudden move. She glanced at Sephiroth, whose mouth formed a small, nearly unnoticeable smirk. He had 'forgotten' to clear his throat. She couldn't help but give a nervous laugh and was rewarded as Sephiroth's smirk widened slightly. The weapon seller didn't understand what was so amusing. She would have to remember not to get lost in thought too often.

"...Mika. We shall take our leave," Sephiroth said, his voice low. She smiled and nodded.

"Do you have to go? I mean, I can understand if _you _want to go, but why not leave... uh... _Mika_ here? I bet that's a lot safer than wherever _you _are going," the weapon seller started, eyeing the Masamune on Sephiroth's back. The cloak was long gone - left in the desert somewhere. Did the man, or did he not know who Sephiroth was?

Either way, upon hearing what the man said, Sephiroth stopped. Mika's smile faded. She did _not _want to be left behind _here._

"...I am afraid I doubt that it is safer here. To me, it seems as though you are... _trying _something," he said in a cold, controlled voice, his features devoid of emotion. The weapon seller turned rather pale upon hearing that, and gave a nervous laugh. When Sephiroth left, Mika followed him, not forgetting the Mako blade. She waved an awkward goodbye before she left. Though the man had been kind, she was glad to get out of there.

"What's the plan?" she asked Sephiroth once they were outside. She hoped he had one, because she didn't. Facing away from her, he lowered until one of his knees hit the ground.

"...Get on," he said, and after some seconds of hesitation, she complied and climbed onto his back.

"We will not fly. That will draw too much attention. We will only do that _after_ the reactor is taken care of," he informed. Precautions were crucial, she guessed. Then he started running and Mika held on tight. Sephiroth let her support herself, while having one hand free and carrying his Masamune in the other. Mika had grabbed onto his shoulders and kept her head above one of them to avoid his billowing hair. Her legs tightened around his mid, which she found rather awkward, but she didn't comment it. The Mako sword was attached to her back so it wouldn't get in their way.

Mika knew why he had told her to get on his back. She would only slow them down if she ran on her own. Her stamina wasn't the best out there and she knew it.

"Turning to the actual plan, there are two alternatives," Sephiroth informed while running. She couldn't help but be amazed; he ran incredibly fast.

"One, I leave you somewhere safe while taking out the reactor alone..." he said. 'Leaving Mika somewhere safe' probably meant the same as 'Leaving Mika somewhere she can't mess things up'. He could be right about that...

Mika smiled sheepishly. At least she was good at shooting things. She just hadn't had a chance to show him yet.

"And two?" she asked. Her question didn't have to be loud, because her head was currently right next to his own, which meant he would have no trouble hearing her. Still, it took a while before he answered.

* * *

Alternative two was far more complicated. In fact, he wondered if it would work at all. Back in the forest outside Mideel he remembered her saying she had Jenova cells. And although she had no signs of Mako in her eyes, she had still claimed that the cells worked. ...If they did, Sephiroth would be able to control her the same way he had controlled Cloud. That plan was more advanced than the other plan, yes, but it was definitely _faster_.

"...Two... I use my abilities and your Jenova cells to control you. Both of us will attack the reactor. One will break it from the inside while the other distracts them," he explained. Mika did not reply at first, thinking through his plan.  
"I... suppose that's a good idea. We'll save time," she said. He wondered if that was her way of saying she accepted the idea of being under his complete control.

"We should try it first, though, to make sure it works..." she added silently. At this comment, Sephiroth slowed down and stopped. Thanks to his speed, they were already getting close to Gongaga and its newest reactor. Gongaga, being the hometown of Zack, the man that had once been his teammate, brought back memories. They only strengthened as they got closer.

Her warmth disappeared from his back as she slid down to the ground. She then watched him turn around with her slightly worried eyes, waiting. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he searched his mind for the ability. Once he remembered it clearly and used it, he saw Mika flinch slightly before she succumbed to his control. Her expression slowly turned dull, and her shoulders lowered.

He knew it worked, but just to check, he made her move around a little. First he made her walk away from him, then come back. It was very much like manipulating a fiend, only he was able to feel her mind. That never happened with fiends. He sensed a hesitant trust in Mika; it felt completely different from the anger and confusion Cloud had emitted way back then. It felt unfamiliar. When he was satisfied, he stopped and watched Mika regain control.

"...Whoa," she said in a barely audible voice, and then shook her head slightly, her eyes narrowing.  
"How was it?" he asked. Mika nodded slowly.

"I think it can work... But there's one thing, though..." she started, and looked right into his eyes.  
"I don't want you to make me kill anyone," she said.

What kind of request was that?

"...What about Shinra employees?" he asked.  
"No," she said, and looked away.

"...So be it," he replied and was rewarded with a faint smile. Wasting no more time, he once again took control of her movement. Then the two of them ran the final distance to Gongaga, Sephiroth the only one knowing the full plan. He would get it all over with swiftly.

The newest Mako reactor was not really close to the town, Gongaga, but even from this distance he saw the people waiting around the new building. Upon seeing the two of them come closer, they started moving into positions and shouted orders around. Sephiroth jumped into the air and flew in their direction. Mika ran below, still controlled by him, and he made her go straight towards the guards in front of them. After making her pull out her gun and ready her Mako sword, he made her attack them while silently remembering her request. He did not make her kill them, only injure them.

It wouldn't hurt if he made Mika give them serious injuries, as long as they still breathed. While she was at it, shooting men and slashing her sword in various ways to dodge and block attacks, Sephiroth avoided attacks from the air. He did not attack, though, as his goal was the actual reactor. The huge building was well shielded and the doors were closed.

Since materias would be helpful, he picked one and used several Earthquake spells consecutively. The spells were strong enough to break the door in less than seconds, and before the guards came for him again after being disturbed by the shaking ground, he moved inside and let his feet land on the armored floor. It looked different than other reactors he had been to, but that was of no consequence. He hurried down the large halls and opened the (notably unlocked) main door to find the room he was searching for. There, a surprise was waiting for him.

The Turks.

Reno, Rude, Elena and Tseng were there, all with triumphant looks on their faces, although not all of them showed it as clearly as the redhead. This would delay him, but that was all. In the blink of an eye he was on the opposite side of them and made a dash for the heart of the reactor. It looked sturdy, and he found his mastered Fire materia. When he used it, the room became so warm it could very much be described as an oven, but the heart of the reactor did not budge, nor melt – it did not even glow.

"Oh? Fail, did you?" Reno mocked as the four Turks surrounded him from behind. Sephiroth put away his Fire materia, then dashed towards Reno with his sword aimed at him. Reno dodged the sword, but only because Sephiroth let him. Instead of using his sword, he kicked Reno in his guts, causing him to fly backwards and into the wall, just like he had done back in Gold Saucer.

"...I learn from my mistakes. Much unlike you," he stated, his voice low and dark. Reno, now on the floor, muttered curses as he held his stomach in pain.

Then Sephiroth turned to see Rude come at him, but dodged as the man punched in his direction. Really, these humans were stronger than all of those guards outside, but they were still unable to harm him. He pulled out several materias at once and used a Water spell and an Electricity spell at the same time. The spells were aimed at Tseng, whose face contorted in agony upon being hit. That spell combination was effective – it had always been.

Tseng was lucky if he survived.

"Tseng!" Elena exclaimed, and when she saw the black-haired man fall, she jerked her head around to give Sephiroth a furious glare. It did not at all affect him. He then used the other materias to cast a Sleep spell on Rude, who was about to attack him again. The man fell to the floor upon being shrouded by the power of the Sleep spell. The only one left standing was Elena, who was now by Tseng's side.

She watched Sephiroth approach her with long steps and he observed with calm indifference as her eyes widened. When he was merely steps away, she looked terrified. But he held no interest in the woman and passed her. Did she truly think he was going to stay in here for one more second only to rid himself of her? When he was once again in front of the main engine of the reactor, he rose his long sword. He felt Mika's mind in the back of his own, telling him she was becoming tired. From what he could read of her thoughts, he knew she had slain more than one man. None had been killed, though. Only almost.

"No!" Elena cried as he drove down his Masamune, but he could not have cared less. His sword split the entire machine into two parts.

Then the reactor exploded.

* * *

**R.R.**

Cliffy-lurve!... **:3**


	13. The Ancient Forest

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, but I have some of the games. I must can has them all.

* * *

**Ancient Forest - Recovery**

* * *

As the first explosion came to an end, others immediately followed. Sephiroth dashed out of the room, not wasting time on the Turks, nor caring about the scolding heat following him as he made his way out. Just as he exited the room, he caught a glance of the hurt redhead and the woman helping their co-workers, but then the explosions commenced again. Every new explosion was larger than the one before it, but Sephiroth paid no attention to them. Once he was outside he moved away from the reactor and ran past all the fallen guards.

Mika was still at it, but she was barely standing. Her hand shook as she held the Mako blade in an attempt to block more bullets, and her own gun seemed to be out of ammunition. Sephiroth knew this already, because he still controlled her most of the time, but seeing her like that was still disturbing. She was so tired she was not thinking clearly - through her, he could feel her lungs aching. Countless people were scattered on the ground, some bleeding, others screaming, but none were dead. Needless to say, blood was everywhere, also on her. Upon hearing one final explosion behind him, he knew the reactor was completely destroyed and beyond help.

The people of Shinra who were still standing, stopped attacking and watched the smoke from the reactor as it towered above them, consisting of smoke and blackness and shadows as it climbed towards the sky. Then, as the people saw Sephiroth, they turned and fled - stumbling away. He narrowed his eyes in distaste, but ignored them as he chose to go over to Mika first. Once there, he made her get onto his back again.

But then, right before he rose into the air, he heard a shot and then a strange sensation of pain filled his right shoulder, right below his collar bone.

"...I hit him! Tseng, did you see that, I shot Sephiroth for you!" he heard a frantic voice shout, and turned to see Elena the Turk, covered in soot from the explosion. On the ground next to her, Tseng was unconscious - or dead. Behind them, he could spot Reno supporting the sleeping Rude. They had all made it out. Sephiroth frowned and was about to run forward, but then he felt Mika shifting on his back. Stopping to think twice, he grit his teeth and moved Masamune to his right hand - the injured one - while using his undamaged arm to support Mika.

Then he took off, leaving the soot-covered Turks and their injured subordinates behind. If he had made Mika kill them, this would have been a massacre to remember.

The pain in his shoulder was nothing. The bullet had gone straight through it. Even so, an increasing and unfamiliar feeling kept growing when his control of Mika went beyond his grasp. She was, in a way, _absent. _The smell of his own blood from his right shoulder did not at all disturb him. But the smell of something else made him rather queasy. He could smell blood different from his own, but did not know for sure whether it was hers or if it belonged to one of those hit by her blade.

"Mika?" he tried, his voice slightly stiff.  
"...Hm?" she replied, and he felt himself relax from his previously tense state. He turned to look over his shoulder. Back outside of Gongaga, the reactor was still burning. He could see people helping others to safety, supporting each other as they walked away from the burning remains of the armored building. Then he looked down to his left (uninjured) shoulder, where Mika's head rested. Her eyes were half open, but looked glazed and unfocused, and her gaze moved around randomly in a slow manner. Determined not to be followed by Shinra's helicopters, he sped up and flew towards the mountains. After crossing the river they were very close to Cosmo Canyon. But that was not where he was going. He dove down to the thickest part of the forest, towards the top of the mountain there: The Ancient Forest.

He landed in a forest glade, sheltered from the sunlight by the old, leafy trees towering around them on all sides, and bent down carefully to let Mika stand on her own feet. She landed, but supported herself by grasping his arm. He let go of his Masamune and assisted her as she sat down. Other than being quite pale, she was also completely silent, and seemed more than willing to lie down against the tree trunk behind her. He wondered vaguely whether that was because of exhaustion or if she was damaged. After sitting down, her hands fell to the ground next to her, her palms facing up.

The clothes she wore were covered in dry blood from whoever she had fought, but he could still not tell if she was injured herself. Then, as she opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, she coughed and a small amount of blood slowly ran from it. Mika held her stomach and did not speak a word, as if she was just surprised as him upon finding she was more damaged than first assumed. She used her other hand to search her pockets and found a Restore materia. When she handed it to him, worried and questioning, he was already well aware that it was not a mastered materia. Its cure spells would be weak.

Sephiroth sighed in annoyance and started muttering the word 'Cure' silently under his breath several times consecutively. Every time he said it, a weak light glowed and started healing Mika. He was amused to see that she had an incredulous look on her face as she observed the weakness of her materia. Even though it was rather weak, Mika was healed within minutes. Then he started healing his own shoulder and Mika shifted.

"...You... You healed _me_ first when _you-_" she started, then her complaining stopped as she started coughing instead. Though her injury was cured, the blood was still there and it kept leaving her mouth, little by little, as she continued coughing.

"That was merely due to the fact that your injury was more severe," he replied, barely audible. He had not looked into her eyes once since they arrived, and avoided doing it as well. Even after his own wound was healed, he found that he could still not rid himself of that uneasy feeling that lingered inside him. It made him frown, and that frown remained on his face until Mika spoke again.

"Okay. Sorry for getting hurt. And thank you for helping," she said, slightly sulky and guilty at the same time, looking at him. The scene was strange, especially since she was still covered in blood. He still avoided to look back, and only listened to her words.

The two of them just sat there, listening to the occasional sounds and cries of nearby fiends. After a while, the mood became so tense that he rose to his feet and simply left. Mika did not say a thing as he did and he could not decide whether that was a good thing or not. Eventually, his little 'walk' turned into a small journey during which he completed various small tasks and attended to things. First, he was lucky enough to find a hot spring. This surprised him, as he did not know these could be found up here, in the Ancient Forest. This particular spring was probably kept warm by the Mako surplus of the old forest. The moss-covered trees and heavy branches functioned as curtains, and the sounds they made upon shifting in the wind was quite soothing.

He took a quick bath and cleaned his clothes in a somewhat sloppy manner before he went back. On his way there he found some fruits. Satisfied at having found food, he picked as much as he could carry before once again starting to walk back. They already had water; The weapon seller had given them some drinking water for them to fill their bottles, knowing they would need it.

As the sound of helicopters suddenly approached, Sephiroth stopped and watched the sky through the thick layer of branches, trees and leaves. The Shinra helicopters passed him and continued in the direction of Cosmo Canyon. Suddenly wanting to go get moving, his instincts led way as he strode back to where he left Mika.

* * *

Mika felt completely fine. In fact, she had never felt better. Even after Sephiroth was done healing her, her stomach had kept squirming. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made her want to get to her feet and just _walk_ or something_._ After he left she even tried, but her loss of blood made her dizzy and she lay down on the ground before she _fell _down. But despite her situation, she felt good. The only things that could've been better was her 'hygienic situation'. Being covered in blood as she was, she was in desperate need of a bath. To add to that, it had been days since the last time she'd had a shower, and considering the fact that she was currently bloody _and sweaty_ from the fight, she was now officially _dirty. _At least Sephiroth hadn't taken a bath recently either. That made it easier. Not that she even noticed; he was always clean, somehow.

Upon seeing belted boots coming into her view, she tilted her head up to see something that looked vaguely like a walking tree. She knew it was Sephiroth, but couldn't help wanting to comment the scene, as he held so much fruit in his arms that she couldn't see his face from her position on the ground.

"Sephitree? Since when did carry fruits?" she asked and a crooked grin appeared on her face. At this comment, he did nothing at first. But then, to her great horror, he dropped all the fruit to the ground. A whole lot of it landed on top of her. As he said nothing and silence ensued, Mika found herself unable to avoid giving yet another comment from under the load of colorful fruit.

"... Sephitrees sure ripen fast..." she mumbled, her comment muffled. She supported herself on her hands and rose her head just enough to free herself from the grasp of the fruit pile. To her surprise, Sephiroth was right in front of her. He faced her and was only inches away. His hair seemed to be wet and clean, and his jade eyes stared into her own ones, making her cheeks redden.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to say that!" she exclaimed, but he kept staring. Then, not wanting to seem weak, Mika slowly frowned and stared back. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she searched for her own reflection in his eyes. In the beginning, she only saw what resembled a sea of burning jade, and that sea seemed to grow as she kept watching it. But behind that, when she looked into his black pupils, she saw her own reflection. She looked odd, bathed in fruits as she was. And she still had dry blood in her face.

Then, suddenly intensely aware of how close they were, she jerked her head back and got to her feet. The fast movement made her go dizzy, again due to blood loss, and she had to sit down once more. Sephiroth remained where he was.

"You should not strain yourself," he said in an oddly quiet voice. It was beautiful to listen to.

...Wait.

_W__hat?_

Mika frowned and shook her head.

"Strain myself? I would never do that," she said, but then she remembered the events earlier that day.  
"...And besides, _I'_m not as weak as you think I am. I bet I'll be able to _waste _the first fiend that comes in my way the next two minutes," she added confidently.

As if on cue, a frog appeared not too far away. It wasn't as large as she had hoped, but it would do. She got to her feet again, slowly this time, and walked towards the poor frog.

"Do not underestimate it," she heard Sephiroth say, barely audible. Was he _mocking_ her?  
Just as she was bout to find her materia and cast a spell, the frog attacked her.

And then, upon impact, she understood why Sephiroth had said what he just said. Because she turned into a frog herself.

Mika watched the suddenly immensely large frog in front of her being burnt to a crisp as Sephiroth used an incredibly small Fire spell. When she turned to watch him, her pride pawned by the almighty frog, he already had a quite visible smirk caressing his perfect features. He watched her toad form for some long seconds in amusement before the frog spell wore off. The humiliation was almost physical – Mika turned into herself again with a thoroughly pained expression on her face. To her chagrin, yet also to her pleasure, Sephiroth was still smirking.

"I... I got the Midgar Zolom, remember...?" she tried and was rewarded with one single, short laugh from Sephiroth. Mika smiled awkwardly, desperate for a change of subject.

"So... Where have you been? Where did you wash your hair?" she asked.  
"...In that direction," he said and nodded to his left, still watching her.

* * *

"...In that direction," he informed, giving a short nod to his left while still observing her.  
"Okay... I'll go wash myself and my clothes. This dry blood is getting to me," she said, her voice faint and quiet, then she turned to look in the direction he had showed her. She was right; her skin and clothes truly were rather bloody.

_It fits her. Too bad she is able to move. _Those were the thoughts of Jenova, and Sephiroth slowly averted his gaze from Mika.

She walked off slowly, leaving Sephiroth behind with all the fruit. After she left him he started eating a little. He did not bother waiting. Slowly eating one small fruit by another, he came to know the tastes of a few of them. Some were sweet, others not so sweet, and one or two even tasted like chilli, only stronger. He liked them. Perhaps he could give one of them to Mika to see her reaction?

Placing the dark red fruit on the ground, he looked up. It was already quite late in the evening and the surroundings were getting darker by the minute.

Where was she?

Only barely starting to wonder what took her so long, he pondered whether he should go look for her or not. Perhaps she had been ambushed by many frogs at once. That would be quite something. Sephiroth sighed and got to his feet and absently walked deeper into the forest.

The first thing he noticed as he got close to the springs was the faint light coming from the place. Then he stopped as he saw the back of Mika's head. She sat in the spring, facing away from him, and the glowing water almost came up to her shoulders. Her hands ran through her long hair in an attempt to comb it, but the wet hair stuck to her damp neck and back reluctantly. While wet, her hair looked much darker; nearly black. Tiny drops of water covered her skin like a web, giving it an eerie look. The light from the spring made her glow in a way that was somehow gentle, as if it were all an illusion.

Sephiroth scowled darkly and turned on the spot, then strode back to their 'camp' with swift steps, numb anger building inside him. Once there, he sat down in a rather disturbed fashion and grabbed a random fruit. With a frown still on his face, he slowly started eating again. The fruit was sweet, and its taste reminded him of something he could not quite place.

When Mika came back a while later, he was still frowning. Mika sat down across from him and grabbed a fruit.

"Sorry I took so long, my clothes took forever to dry," she explained, then she picked a fruit. It was pink; one of the sweet fruits. She seemed to enjoy it. "...Nice," she remarked after eating for a while. It was getting fairly dark now. Soon it would be even darker.

"We can't make a fire or anything like that, right? Because Shinra is still looking for us?" she asked.  
"Correct," he informed absently, and listened to her sigh.

"...Do you have a plan for the next reactor?" she asked quietly, sounding tired.  
"I am working on it," he said, which was not entirely true. That is, he _did _have a plan, but she would not like it.

The next reactor was the second last one. It was positioned close to Wutai, much to the dislike of the people there. They were some of the people who disliked Shinra the most, which was understandable after the war they had fought against Midgar so long ago. Wutai lost the war and later, Shinra came back to take the little piece of peace they had left by building a Mako reactor right next to their village.

Sephiroth was planning to go there on his own. That way, he could just fly over the reactor and attack from above. The reactor was not as strong as the other ones because it did not give as much profit. Therefore, it would be an easy task for him to accomplish alone. But once again Shinra would most likely be there. Somehow he doubted the security would be too high, because bringing lots of Shinra guards over there would take time – it would make more sense to send them to the last reactor of them all. However, he would not be surprised if he met the Turks there, nor would he be taken aback if they tried to follow him by helicopter when he left after destroying the reactor.

And that was the part of his plan which Mika would not be too fond of; if anyone followed him by helicopter, he would use a summon to make them crash. They would, without a doubt, die.

If she insisted on coming he could refuse, but if she happened to have a good argument, he _could _consider taking her with him. If that were the case, she had to be able to handle watching him kill people when they escaped.

He glanced at Mika - and was surprised to find her asleep. For once he would not have to cast Sleep. He lay down on the ground himself and looked up. The plants and trees hid the dark sky from him, and his gaze wandered from leaf to leaf absently. Flowers in all shapes and fashions kept his eyes busy and the sounds of fiends and insects were there, but he did not quite register them. The soft sound of Mika breathing was far more interesting; occasionally she sighed or shifted, which made him wonder if she was dreaming.

Before he realized it, after a very long time of not sleeping and only resting, Sephiroth felt as though his thoughts slid away and his mind was put on hold.  
And then he fell asleep himself.

Hours later he was awakened by the sun peeking through the leaves above. At first he was unable to grasp what had happened. Everything had been dark and after he blinked, it was already morning. Had he _slept_? Sephiroth felt uneasy at first, but a strange feeling of relief and calm soon filled him, which were both rather unfamiliar to him. He did, in a way, feel oddly content. Then he noticed something warm next to him and turned to see Mika.

Upon seeing her, he jerked away into a sitting position. For the next few seconds he remained still, but relaxed again somewhat when he realized she could not have done that on purpose. She must have rolled over to him in her sleep.

Speaking of sleep, how long had he been sleeping? His gaze rose to search for the sun. Judging from its position on the sky, he guessed it was almost noon. His jade gaze lowered to Mika. They should get moving soon if they wanted to pass Cosmo Canyon without being seen. Even so, it could not hurt to let her wake up on her own. It could not take too long, considering the fact that he had not used the Sleep spell.

Sephiroth averted his eyes from her and looked deeper into the forest. He only barely registered a faint, sweet scent coming from somewhere. After sitting still for a long moment, he raised his hand and the scent became slightly stronger. That was the arm Mika had slept next to. His arm smelt like Mika. He frowned as he lowered his arm. Deciding to ignore the faint scent for now, he moved his focus to the fruits next to him. Though he had picked them yesterday, most of them still looked fine. However, after he grabbed a random fruit and took a bite, he recalled the last fruit he had eaten last night. It was the same kind of fruit he was eating now, with the same taste. Only this time he knew what the taste had reminded him of. The light red fruit tasted the same way Mika smelled. He swallowed the bit of fruit slowly. Then he threw the rest of the fruit away. It tasted good, yes, but too much of the good was not good, especially not if it reminded him of Mika.

Mika shifted once and groaned as she came to. Then she blinked sleepily before sitting up with a tired look on her face. Though she did not know it herself, she had been annoying him very much these last few minutes. And therefore, he had something to tell her.

"...Those who snore always fall into slumber before those who do not," he muttered, his voice dark and low, and then he waited for her response. Many long seconds passed before the sleepy Mika managed to process and understand what he said.  
"What?! ...I snored?!" she asked loudly, more awake than he had ever seen her before. Then he picked up a fruit similar to the one he had just gotten rid of and threw it to Mika, who barely caught it.

"...No. I just thought I would say so to wake you up," he said, and Mika's shoulders fell as she sighed in relief. Then she flashed him a glare.  
"We shall take our leave shortly. Get ready," he informed.

* * *

**R.R.**  
'Sephitree' is glad to announce that this is a non-cliffy chapter. And technically, it's 100% possible to click the "Next Chapter" button thing after you've finished reading this sentence, but I'd _love _you if you leave a review for this chapter anyway... :3


	14. Cosmo Canyon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, but like many others, I wish I did.

This chapter may not have too much action... But! I'll make it up to you in the next chapter.

* * *

**Cosmo Canyon - Preparations**

* * *

As they descended the mountain, Mika once again on Sephiroth's back, it was already past noon. To Sephiroth's satisfaction, Mika had brought along as much fruit as she could get into her pockets. They had also refilled their water bottles, so lack of food would not be a problem for the rest of the day, at least. They did not fly too high up in the air, because there were no clouds in the area. Instead they flew almost right above the ground to avoid being seen.

Sephiroth stopped close to Cosmo Canyon upon noticing that it looked rather empty. The small town seemed to be abandoned. The villagers had most likely went into cover. He knew there were caves in there – large enough to shelter them all. Upon hearing Sephiroth was back, and this time not alone, the villagers were probably hiding in those caves. Or perhaps they hid because of something else, such as having heard and seen so many of Shinra's helicopters fly past? Not that he cared much, but if they were lucky, they could find a new and better Restore materia there. A materia that was better than the one they already possessed.

So after explaining to Mika, they approached the small, primitive houses. He hovered in front of the windows to see whether the rooms held materias or not and ended up going inside the largest building, which was actually a cave. In there they found several materias; Restore materias as well, but they were even poorer than the one they already had. Thus, after that short visit, he decided they would not need one. After all, he was not planning to get injured, nor to let a certain someone other than himself get hurt.

They left the houses in Cosmo Canyon without bringing any materias, as none were strong at all. At least Mika found some ammunition for her gun. Slowly, while pondering his possibilities, Sephiroth brought them west towards the shore of the continent. From there they were going to Wutai. That is, unless he decided to go on his own.

"Sephiroth..." Mika mumbled to him from his back. She sounded rather troubled.  
"I just wonder... Why do _you_ want to break the reactors?" she asked. This made him frown and he once again started thinking. His plan was to destroy the reactors in order for the Planet to have all its Mako energy 'for itself'. Once he was in the Northern Crater, he would find the Black Materia he had unwillingly left behind. If it was broken, he would gather its pieces and shards and fix it somehow.

"Are you going to summon Meteor again?" Mika asked. Though her voice was calm and quiet, he could sense she was worried. What would she do if he said yes? His plan was indeed to summon Meteor, because when he did, the Planet would use the Lifestream to protect itself. The Lifestream, or Mako, would gather at the Northern Crater, where the Meteor would crash. The intense concentration of energy would gather at one spot to create a protective shield, and when it did, Sephiroth would be there to absorb it. Thus he would be able to absorb all the knowledge flowing in the energy, and he would get wisdom beyond comparison. Wisdom and knowledge from the Cetra, or Ancients. At the same time, his power would increase.

"...To increase my power and knowledge, yes," he replied, and he could hear a certain edge in his own voice.  
"But you're already the strongest man on the Planet," he heard Mika say, barely audible even when she was right next to him.

"My ambitions and goals are greater than that," he answered. His goal was to become superior to all living beings he knew of. This time, Mika gave his words some more thought before speaking again.

"You were controlled by Jenova in the past, right? But then you turned against its will and controlled _it_ instead," she started. He vaguely wondered how she knew – and what else.  
"...From what I heard, Jenova was an extraterrestrial creature that only wanted to destroy. Right? At least that was what the scientists said..." she continued. He already knew that. There was no need to tell him.

"So... You have all the powers Jenova had, and only _you_ can control them. That means that you are stronger than Jenova, which has to mean you're probably stronger than the rest of the Jenova-like beings as well," she tried and he heard that she was uncertain. It was correct, in a way. He had outconquered Jenova, and thus he was most likely stronger than beings that were similar to it. If the Planet would ever be attacked by these extraterrestrial beings again, which he doubted would happen, he would be able to defeat them.

"Okay, what I'm _trying _to say is that you're probably the strongest and wisest being that has lived. You're stronger and smarter than anyone I've ever met, and probably stronger than anyone I ever _will _meet. You're superior to all the people on the Planet, including Jenova," she mumbled, sounding sulky because she did not quite know how to explain – or perhaps because she was of the opinion that _she _could never be compared to_ him_. While she was talking, he subconsciously slowed down a little. But he said nothing in return.

"And you were in the Lifestream for quite a while. It wouldn't surprise me if you already know all that's worth knowing," she added, her words muffled as she spoke into his shoulder.

He pondered her words in silence as he kept running, not stopping, nor faltering again. She was trying to stop him from using Meteor. He did not like the that.  
But her words made sense.

"Sorry, but just one last thing: If you still want to become stronger, why don't you just take a long vacation in the Lifestream in stead of summoning Meteor to concentrate the Mako energy?" she suggested, sounding a little like she was joking. Unlike other humans, Sephiroth was able to do what she had suggested without actually taking _damage_ from it. Other humans who fell into the Lifestream usually never recovered. He was originally a human himself, yet thanks to Jenova's cells he was stronger than others. One thing was for sure: He could not be sure if he was the strongest being that had ever lived, but he was definitely the strongest being on the Planet.

As these thoughts and somewhat new views settled in his mind, he felt Jenova's will stir violently inside him. She was obviously not too fond of this new load of information. Sephiroth suddenly felt oddly pleased. It felt good to gain new knowledge and at the same time rebel against Jenova and her destructive thoughts.

He took a deep breath to taste the cold, salty sea wind – but once again he felt Mika's scent.  
Only this time he did not frown.

* * *

Mika hoped she hadn't angered him by saying all those things. She waited for him to answer, but he obviously wasn't going to. Was he angry? Was that why he didn't speak? ...Would he throw her off the next cliff they passed? Mika flashed a nervous smile to no one in particular and tightened her grip on Sephiroth's shoulders just in case. As they kept flying through the dimly lit orange valley, she quietly hoped he would at least give her words a tiny bit of his time and consider them. Also, she hoped he wouldn't drop her off somewhere, which would be rather bad for her.

They wouldn't go to Wutai today, because afternoon had already arrived. If they _tried_ to, they could get there in the middle of the night, though. That would be a smart thing if it hadn't been for the fact that it would be much harder to spot an ambush prepared by Shinra.

Therefore they stopped once they got to the shore of the continent. When they looked across the ocean, they saw the thin, long island on which Wutai waited. Sephiroth occasionally spotted a helicopter above Wutai, but that was too far away for her to see. That is, she _did _she a super tiny, mega small spot hovering in the air over there, but that was all. When she told Sephiroth, he just flashed her an immensely small smirk.

"Do you know any jokes?" she asked him randomly as they ate the fruit she had brought. He turned to watch her.  
"...I will not risk a joke with someone who is unable to comprehend it," he said in a monotone voice and then waited for her response. Mika frowned, struggling not to look to affected by his words. Was he saying she wasn't smart?

"_Ha-ha._ I'm not as stupid as you think I am," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.  
"...That joke was good," he retorted. Mika blinked multiple times before upon receiving that reply.

"You!" she exclaimed and narrowed her eyes to slits while scowling at him. He didn't seem to pay any attention to her, though, so she turned away and crossed her arms. It didn't take long before she couldn't take it any longer, though, and she uncrossed her arms to take one more fruit. It was green, and she hoped it wouldn't be too sour or bitter. She ate it in silence, and to her great pleasure it tasted like candy. In fact, it tasted so well that she enjoyed every last piece of the fruit fully.

"I am planning to go to Wutai on my own. I will destroy the reactor easily," Sephiroth said simply, and Mika felt the taste of her fruit fade.

...Was he leaving her behind?

"Are you going to continue on your own without me? Wait, if it has anything to do with what I said earlier, I'm not-" she started.  
"No. That is not the case. It will merely be easier to attack that particular reactor alone," he said. After some long seconds, Mika sighed a little and eyed him.

"But if you take me along you'll save a lot of time. If you leave me here you'll have to come all the way back here to pick me up. That would be a huge waste of time, right?" she reasoned. He arched his eyebrows.

"You want to come that much?" he asked.  
That left her quite surprised. Did she? Or did she just want to travel with him to come to her destinations faster? ...Or did she simply want to travel with _him_?

"Of course! But if you still think I'll be in your way, why don't you drop me off a little bit away from Wutai and go there alone anyway?" she suggested. Mika could tell he considered this, because his eyes narrowed only slightly. She held his jade gaze until he answered.

* * *

"...So be it. But stay out of trouble," he informed simply. After hearing this, Mika gave him a wide, satisfied smile. When he turned away to watch Wutai in the distance, he could still see her in the corner of an eye as she lay down on the ground. She faced the sky, which was darkening as evening ensued.

Eventually he did the same, making sure he did not fall asleep this time. He kept his mind busy with whatever he could think of, mainly the things he had learned the past years. About the Ancients, about Jenova and the Lifestream, and about Shinra. Those were only a few of many subjects, but it would do. He would not fall asleep again and find Mika right next to him. When that happened this morning, it had made him feel more than just uneasy. Trying to explain it simply did not work. In the end he heard Mika fall asleep as her breath slowed down and evened out.

Then he remembered something else: Her nicknames for him. Hearing her call him Sephi_rot _and Sephitree was unacceptable, but he just couldn't seem to find a proper counterattack name for her. _Mike_ simply would not do the trick in the long run. Mika was a name without too many options when it came to altering. Then again, he had all night. Sephiroth would come up with something, no matter how much time he wasted. He would not let her call him things that easily, and if he was unable to find an alternative name for her, he would come up with another fitting punishment.

The first name that crossed his mind was 'Mucka', but that did not sound too much like 'Mika', and besides, it sounded awfully childish. Then he came up with the name 'Milka', which was not really too offensive. After that he came up with a small list of names like Mocka, Minka, and Meata, but none of them would do. Perhaps he would just have to come up with a name that did not resemble her own. Something based on her bad running, for instance.

After a sleepless night, the sun once again peeked up from behind the mountains. For the first time in ages, he did not feel like getting up at all. He just wanted to lie there and listen. The faint sounds of the waves and the wind made his mind feel numb. If there was some way to turn it off, he would have done it. But only until he actually sat up. Mika shifted some and woke up not much later, blinking her sleepiness away.

She glanced over at him, but instantly averted her eyes when she saw him looking back. He watched as she got to her feet and started to stretch slightly. First her arms and back, then her legs. The ground was rather hard now that he thought about it. Perhaps he should do the same. Sephiroth forced himself up and frowned as he heard his back made an odd cracking sound. Then he moved his head to regain some circulation. Mika was still facing away from him – this struck him as a good chance to frighten her. He did not know why, he just had an sudden urge to do so.

Therefore, he walked over to her and stopped right behind her, then lowered his head a little.

"Good morning," he said in a dark voice with a smirk on his face. Not only did she jump forward and jerk around, she also stared at him for quite a while without responding. He had not only scared her by standing right behind her, he had also frightened her by saying what he had said. _Good morning. _Come to think of it, that took Sephiroth himself off guard as well. He had not said 'good morning' to anyone since he was in Soldier, working for Shinra.  
"...Good morning," she replied in a quiet voice, observing him suspiciously with narrowed eyes. The two of them just stared at each other awkwardly before Sephiroth decided to say something.

"We shall leave as soon as we have eaten. I will tell you the plan as well, preferably before we leave," he informed, thinking it would be impossible to tell her the plan while flying. The wind was strong enough to stifle any words spoken while up in the air. Mika sat down and found some fruit from her pockets; Sephiroth wondered how she was able to put so much in the pockets of her black coat before it was full – it seemed to be able to room just about anything.

"...Okay. Tell me the plan while we eat?" she suggested slightly warily and threw a fruit to him. He caught it easily, then sat down as well.  
"That's the only food we have left, so make sure you enjoy it," she said as an afterthought.

He observed the fruit. How ironic. It was that light red fruit again; with the sweet taste that reminded him of her scent. Deciding that the taste _did not _resemble her scent, but that her scent resembled the taste instead (as if the difference was that great), he started eating. He watched as she ate her own fruit, a green one, and could see that she liked it. Though the taste of his own fruit reminded him of a certain someone, he enjoyed the small meal almost as much as she did.

"Do you have more than one alternative this time too?" Mika asked as she finished her fruit and rid herself of its remains.  
"As a matter of fact, I do. There are three options," he started, and he could see that Mika paid attention by the way she bent forward slightly.

"One: You stay here and I take out the reactor. Then I will come back to pick you up and we will continue our journey from here," he said.  
"Nope," she said, dismissing the option, just as Sephiroth had expected her to.

"Two... Both of us go there," he started. As Mika nodded, he continued.  
"I shall leave you a fair distance from Wutai and I will demolish the reactor from the outside. After doing so, I will return to you and we will continue northeast, preferably straight to the northern continent," he said. The final reactor was up there, in the Northern Crater, newly built and surely well guarded.  
"If we are delayed in any way, we will return to this continent and then continue north tomorrow," he finished. She nodded slowly.

"And what about three?" she asked, slightly anxious.  
"...Option three is similar to our previous assault," he started.

"We will both fly there, and once we are close enough to the reactor, I will let you down to the ground. From there, I will control you and distract whoever guards the area. While controlling you, I will take out the reactor myself. Then I will pick you up and we will go east. This plan is the fastest of the three, yet also the one with the most risks," he explained. While speaking, his jade orbs observed her carefully, not wanting to miss it if she seemed hesitant.

"Is it important to save time?" she asked, returning his gaze with her hazel eyes. There was a faint hint of green in her orbs as well, and Sephiroth wondered why he had not seen it before. After all, his eyes rarely missed details. He could see better than any other.

"Time is always important. Procrastination will reduce our opportunities later and make things easier for Shinra," he answered. Mika said nothing.  
"If we are to take out the final reactor on the northern continent, we need to be faster than Shinra. Therefore, let us not waste too much of the time we have," he finished. Mika looked at him with wide eyes at that and then flashed him a small smile of acknowledgement.

"Okay," she replied, and then nodded to confirm her reply.

"...Which option do you approve of the most?" he asked, feeling a little like this was becoming an analysis game. Mika shifted and crossed her arms while giving it some thought. Her fingers tapped as her eyes moved away from his. Sephiroth believed she considered the two last options, and that the first option was not even an alternative. The first option would take too long. Also, they would not save an awful lot of time even if they did use the third option instead of the second one. However, staying around Wutai for too long after having destroyed the reactor would only be good for Shinra, and not for themselves. Therefore, he hoped she would choose the last option.

"I think three would be the best one," Mika said, and he felt his faint frown disappear somewhat.  
"But only if you promise not to make me kill them when you're in control. And I want to try fighting a little on my own as well. I'm not as incompetent as you think, you know," she finished.

"...Agreed," Sephiroth replied. He knew she would ask him not to kill them. Even if she didn't ask now, she _had_ asked him once before, and he would have avoided killing them anyway. But that didn't mean _he _wouldn't kill anyone. Not at all. He wondered how she would act if he did kill someone.

Or _when_ he killed someone.

But her request to fight _on her own_ was new. Sure, she was probably good with her gun, but not with the Mako sword. Perhaps he could try controlling only her stance and one of her arms, and then leave the arm holding her gun alone.

Mika got to her feet and Sephiroth shifted to support himself with one knee while she climbed onto his back, with the Mako sword tied to her back. He took hold of Masamune and rose into the air, then they flew west towards the small, long continent that held Wutai. He did not support Mika at all – she had to hold on by herself. Both of them knew very well that Shinra was waiting for them. Though Shinra had probably not had enough time to bring tons of guards to Wutai, they most likely had most of their _elite_ soldiers there.

But that did not worry Sephiroth at all.  
What _did,_ however, was whether or not the wind would keep increasing in strength like it had done the last couple of hours.

* * *

**R.R.**  
They're in for a (-insert random spoiler here-) as well as much more wind.


	15. Wutai

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Thank you SOOO much for deh reviews, they are luve:)  
If you don't remember where Wutai is (or the other places), go to google and search for 'FF7 map'...

* * *

**Wutai - Assaults**

* * *

As they made their way across the sea, the wind continued to increase in strength. When they were almost there, the wind was so strong that Mika could no longer hold onto just his shoulders; she moved her arms _over_ his shoulders instead and held onto the front of his coat, carefully avoiding to strangle him. If she did, he would _not_ forgive her. But hey, as if _she _could strangle _him. _She also had to tighten her legs around him to avoid having them fly off him. This would have made her cheeks redden considerably if it hadn't been for the strong and cold wind.

Once they finally got to the small western continent, Sephiroth landed.

"...The wind does not bother me, but if you want me to run in stead of flying, that is fine," he said, his voice steady in the wind. Mika would have been okay with flying if she wouldn't have to hold onto him so much, but the wind gave her no choice. The wind was weaker down here, too. But they'd lose a lot of time if they ran.

"That's okay, just fly," she said into his ear and he jumped back up into the air and let the wind catch them again.

The air currents seemed to try anything to make them fly south or west, but they were going north. This made Mika feel guilty – not only did Sephiroth fly against the wind, but he even did it while carrying _her. _She wasn't the heaviest person on the Planet, but she was most certainly not the _lightest_ one. Besides, her hands were all over him. Not even the cold wind against her skin could stop the dark red shade from rising to her cheeks now. She was happy he couldn't see her face at the moment. To add to it all, her hands and limbs were aching from holding on tight.

A bridge appeared in front of them. It swayed back and forth violently, shaking in the wind. Sephiroth stopped in the air above it.

"...Do you want to try walking on that?" she heard him ask, his voice only a little lighter than usual (and she was _sure _his face hosted one of his more sinister smirks), and then he lowered slowly. Upon seeing the seemingly living bridge come closer, Mika tightened her grip on Sephiroth greatly. He turned his head to watch her, probably wanting to see her expression. And yes, he really was smirking wryly. After seeing what he wanted to (her horrified face, still red) his smirk widened and he lowered even more.

"Please don't?" Mika asked in a light, pleading voice. Weren't they wasting time? ...From the look of things, Sephiroth found her terrified state more entertaining and important than time-saving and reactor destruction.  
"If you put me down here, I'll fall down before both of my feet are in place!" she continued. Just because _he _could walk over that bridge without trouble, didn't mean _she_ could.

"...Really?" he said in a way that told her Sephiroth already knew that.

"What'll you do if I _fall down_? Will you follow me?" she asked, trying to find out if he was pulling a prank on her like he had done back in the desert.  
"...No," he said in a cold voice - sounding almost positively evil. If possible, her death grip tightened even more around him.

"I will stand below and catch you," he added after taking a very deliberate break.  
"_You_!" she exclaimed, relief washing through her as she started breathing again. She would have added 'You wouldn't _dare _to let go!', but he _would_ have, just to prove to her that he could. She also avoided adding 'Sephi_rot_', although with difficulties.  
"Hn," Sephiroth replied, then rose up into the air again.

After yet another while of flying (Mika still held on for her life), they found some other bridges as well, to Mika's great chagrin. Luckily for her, they passed them without stopping. Why had she come to dislike bridges so much? Perhaps it had something to do with that bridge outside the ruins of the Ancient Temple. She didn't really have a problem with bridges in general, but scrawny bridges that were likely to throw her off or break under her feet were not very tempting, to say the least.

Once they were close enough to Wutai, Sephiroth lowered to the ground. Mika slid down to the ground and as she landed, she was met with a not-so-nice feeling of Sephiroth's billowing hair in her face. As she stepped aside to avoid it, he turned to her. She couldn't say a thing to him before he took control of her mind. It was a strange feeling, like something tickled her mind and then locked around it.

She succumbed to it and gave him control, but found that he had left her right arm free for her to use. Hesitating a little in the beginning, she found her gun with it and at the same time, Sephiroth made her other hand take hold of the Mako blade.

Satisfied, he made her run alongside him the last distance to the reactor. It was an odd feeling not to have full control of herself. Mika could just watch, with the exception of her right arm. Sephiroth could make her do anything. She hoped he wouldn't make her kill anyone. But he had told her he wouldn't, so she would have to trust him with the task at hand. The fact that she trusted Sephiroth - out of all people - would have made everyone she knew tell her she was more than just a little naïve and crazy. Not that she cared, she _knew_ she was taking a risk, but somehow she just couldn't help it.

The Shinra guards had seen them now, but didn't shoot. They were waiting for them to get closer this time. Mika felt anxious, but left it all to Sephiroth. He already carried his long sword and also a materia. It was bright red – a summon materia.

Sephiroth charged into the the air and flew towards the large reactor. It was north of Wutai, so he flew above the small village, much to the villagers' surprise. Mika followed him, but _ran_ around the village instead. The Shinra guards started shooting at Sephiroth, paying no attention to her at all.

That was a grave mistake, seeing as _he_ was the one controlling her.

He made her attack them from behind with her sword, but avoided killing them. It felt strange to wield the sword so well with her left hand, because she was actually right-handed. At times he made her pull back a little. When he did, Mika aimed at the Shinra guards that approached her and started shooting. The bullets all hit their targets, who instantly winced and threw away their weapons in favor of tending to their wounds. Sephiroth then made her move up close to the remaining guards. Most of them noticed her and tried taking her down, but she (okay, _Sephiroth_) used the broad sword to block their attacks. Even though she easily noticed that these were stronger than the guards in Gongaga had been, none hit her.

Several shouts were heard from the direction of the reactor and she saw a few people pointing up into the sky. Some pointed with their hands, other with guns. Up there, hovering next to Sephiroth, was the fire summon Ifrit. The summon rose its arms to its mouth slowly and used them to create waves of fire, then let it all flow down to the reactor. The people fled to avoid the massive warmth it created. It was as if all the colors drained from the surroundings, and in their place, red and orange shades danced their way to their goal.  
After the reactor was on fire, Sephiroth himself used an enormous ice spell to freeze it. The scorching flames were drowned by the blue, crystal-like ice. The warm temperature sunk and around the fire a massive amount of fog erupted as the two elements met. The fire was taken down, leaving behind a blanket of ice and wet snow. After the spell had its effect, the summon attacked again with a new sea of flames. Mika could feel the waves of warm and cold air pass her. After the final fire attack from Ifrit, the summon disappeared.

Then the reactor fell apart from the rapid changes in temperature, which had caused the roof to crumble and fall down into the building. The walls remained, but that was all. Mika gave a mental smirk at their success. From what she had seen, not even one person was killed. She doubted Shinra had made anyone stay inside the reactor this time.

The spot above them, which was actually Sephiroth, dove down and made his way over to her. She felt control return to her as he let go of her mind. There were no guards nearby as he did, and he stopped in front of her. After she quickly attached the Mako blade to her back and jumped up, Sephiroth left the ground once more. She could hear shots being fired after them. None of the bullets hit them, and she put her own gun back in her coat.

* * *

After he picked up Mika, he instantly started flying back east. To his great displeasure, an armored helicopter appeared from the place in which it had been hiding: the village, Wutai. He had already known they would do something like this, but had expected them to do it earlier. If he was going to kill them now, he had to do it while Mika watched. Could she stand that? And more importantly, could he do it? He was capable of it, yes, but in front of her? That was another matter.

For now, he decided to escape from it. The wind was still strong and he hoped that would give the helicopter some trouble. Sephiroth darted past the hovering machine and continued. From what he had glimpsed, there was one pilot and three others. He looked back to see them start the chase and frowned as he recognized them.

Rude and Elena of the Turks had obviously recovered from the incident some days ago. That did not surprise him.  
However, the presence of the third person took him aback, to say the least.

Rufus Shinra observed them with icy eyes while loading his gun. Sephiroth turned forward again, determined to shake them off. He would not kill them unless they became a problem. While he and Mika had been busy with the reactor, the wind had brought some dark clouds along from the north. That did not bode well for any of them. If a storm started, lightning would follow. Sephiroth had materias that made him immune to elemental attacks, including lightning, but he knew Mika did not carry such protection.

Once they were above the ocean, heading east, he lowered and continued flying right above the top of the largest waves. The helicopter followed, but did not go as low as they did. This was not good, as they would be easy to shoot down if they continued. Therefore he rose slightly and commenced an evasive combo of moves by turning in different directions to avoid the gradually approaching helicopter.

"They're coming closer!" Mika informed, speaking loudly in the strong wind. He knew they were - and at this rate he would have to kill them, unless he and Mika were able to escape. He stopped abruptly in mid-air and the helicopter passed them. It stopped as well, hovering and turning halfway in front of them. Elena was in the open door, holding on as best she could.

"We've got you now! It's payback time – you injured Tseng, and now I'll injure Mika!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.  
How did she know Mika's _name_? Who had told her? Elena aimed a gun at them, but Sephiroth rose up into the air.

_The weapon seller. Shinra must have been there._

That was the only time and place in which he had said her name out loud while someone else was listening. He felt Mika's grip around him tighten as he made a sharp turn south. Rain started falling, not faltering once it began. This was the last chance he would give them. If they kept following him and Mika south, he would kill them by destroying that helicopter. Sephiroth let the wind take them south. It was not where he had been planning to go, but in order to fly as fast as he could, he had to fly _with _the wind. To increase their speed even more, he let his arms rest at his side, still holding his sword. Mika tried to help by tightening her grip around him and held onto the upper belts of his coat firmly.

By doing this, their speed increased considerably. However, still fearing she would fall off his back, he was on constant watch.

Upon seeing that they passed a small piece of land before once more continuing over the ocean again, he guessed they would end up in either Rocket Town or Nibelheim if they turned east. Both of those were better than staying above the ocean, but if at all possible, he wanted to avoid Nibelheim. To get to Rocket Town, though, he had to turn left _now_. But just as he was about to, he heard the sound of the Shinra helicopter close behind him. How did it manage to follow them in this weather?

Distraught, he looked over his shoulder to see Rufus Shinra in the open door of the hovering helicopter. The man, clothed in his ever-present white suit, was well known for his precise aiming and shooting, which was _not_ comforting.

He was aiming for Mika.

And then he fired.

The bullet was so painfully slow that Sephiroth felt as if time was on the verge of stopping completely. Despite that, he knew it could not be dodged. To fly up or to his left or right would take too long, and if he lowered any more than he already had, they would fall into the grasp of the cold and tumultuous waves. Then the bullet suddenly seemed to increase in speed, still on its way to Mika. As time decided to return to normal all of a sudden, he jerked around with Mika still on his back. He moved his Masamune up as well, but it was too late. He had spent too much time thinking of what to do.

The bullet hit him in his chest, making its way through his skin, cold and warm and wet as a result of the pouring rain.

Upon impact, Sephiroth lost his breath for some long seconds before he actually realized he was badly injured. His burning jade gaze moved from Rufus in front of him and down to his wound. Blood already oozed from the hole, running down his chest and mixing with the rain, not faltering on its way. When he raised his gaze again, temporarily paralyzed from the critical injury, he saw the Shinra president aim again. If he was not mistaken, Rufus was aiming for his head this time. But then something appeared next to him. An extended arm reached out next to him, holding a gun. Mika's arm. Mika's weapon.

In the corner of an eye he watched as she fired. Her arm jerked back as she did and he watched with fascination as Rufus was hit. The bullet hit him just where Rufus' bullet had hit Sephiroth: that white suit of his darkened as blood started coursing from his wound. The Turks – Elena and Rude – caught him as he fell backwards, cushioning his fall. Then one of them shouted an order to the pilot, who immediately turned the helicopter to retreat, leaving Sephiroth and Mika behind. Come to think of it, who would catch _him_ as he fell? How long could he keep levitating in mid-air like he did at the moment?

Feeling his strength vanish gradually, yet fast as his blood kept running from from his injury, Sephiroth felt strangely light-headed.

Then he fell.

He felt Mika's grip loosen and disappear before he hit the waves. The water was freezing cold, but failed to wake him from the state he was in. There existed a numb sensation inside him that was either physical or caused by something else - he could not tell. Sephiroth looked down into the depths of the ocean, at the darkness down there. He still held his Masamune, which was currently pointing down into the shadows below. The water was not blue. It was red - crimson or scarlet or black: the colors of his blood. His chest seemed to pound as he watched the dark substance color the water around him. Was _this _how he would become one with the Lifestream? Weakened and dying? More importantly, would he be able to resurface from it once more? Death was most certainly not a tempting way in which to complete his goals.

Then he felt something pull him up by the arm of his long black coat, and not too many seconds after that, he broke the surface. Next to him was an alarmed, gasping Mika, staring at him with wide, frightened eyes, her green-tinted hazel orbs showing shock and fear and horror and helplessness... Something about her expression made him feel well, as if it helped to see that she worried. His vision was getting cloudier by the second, which annoyed him, because his mind was perfectly clear. Feeling light-headed was not a good thing in the middle of the ocean, was it?

"Sephiroth! _Where_ is the Restore materia? Where did you put it?" she asked loudly, hysterical, but he did not really register her question. _Restore materia?_ He had put Mika's Restore materia in one of his smaller pockets after using it in the Ancient Forest back in Cosmo Canyon. That thing would not help much. Even if it could heal him, the bullet was still in his chest. It had to be removed before trying to heal it. That was why the helicopter left; the Turks probably had plenty of Restore materias as well, but they needed to remove the bullet from the president's injury first. Would they come back?

"...Sephiroth, look! Look! We're not very far away from the shore!" Mika exclaimed, and he vaguely registered the mountain peaks on the horizon. Then he felt a cold hand on his chest, on top of his wound. At first he thought it was hers, but found himself rather disappointed upon realizing it was his own. Why had he not done that before?

"I have _no _idea how to get us there..." Mika muttered in exasperation, breathless as the two of them moved from wave to wave. He knew how. How would he tell her? If he opened his mouth, blood was all that would leave it. Come to think of it, he could not breathe very well. Luckily for him, he had gone through some training under water before... He was able to hold his breath for quite a while.

He felt himself being moved and found himself watching the dark sky and the rain pouring from it. Mika held onto him as best as she could while struggling to swim backwards without losing him. After what seemed like half an eternity, he felt sand under his boots. He was then pulled to his legs with minor effort on his half, then felt his arm being placed over Mika's shoulder. To his great surprise, he still held Masamune. His grip around it had not weakened even once, and his other hand was still clutching his wound. Mika trembled while supporting him.

Trying not to lean onto her, he attempted walking on his own as much as possible. Mika kept supporting him as they walked forward, his sword dragging in the sand and mud. All of the things that had happened the last few minutes were only vague moving pictures in his mind. Even so, he willed himself to stay conscious as they walked. His sense of time seemed to be tricking him, and he could not tell whether it was afternoon or evening. The sky above them was as dark as before, the sunlight hidden by clouds heavy with rain. Then it occurred to him that it was raining as well. Just when had it started raining?

The great mountains towered above them as they entered a town. He had been there before. Something about this place was familiar, but he could not quite grasp what.  
He was at his limit.

Mika led him into the first house she found, and after a great effort they got up the stairs. Such a simple task should strictly not be that difficult and he found himself not liking the state he was in at all. The house seemed to be unoccupied. Still dripping wet from the rain, or perhaps the seawater, Mika helped him lay down on a soft bed. Once there, his hand let go of Masamune. Then, without asking for permission, Mika searched through nearly every pocket she could find in his coat. Then she pulled out a small, shiny materia that he recognized as the weak Restore materia of hers.

Knowing she wanted to heal him, he moved his hand away from his injury. Then he used his fingers to quickly make its way down into the wound, and with some help from his energy, he managed to get out the bullet. Mika looked away while he did it, still trembling - now sitting on the floor. Then, once the bullet was freed, he let it slip to the floor. Upon hearing the sound of it as it landed, Mika turned back and then quickly started healing him with shaky hands. He would have assisted her if it wasn't for the fact that he had used the very last bit of his energy to remove that bullet. Come to think of it, how had the rest of his energy vanished? And when?

As she started to heal him, he began coughing. He caught a glimpse of the terrified Mika as she hurried even more than she already did.  
Where did she get her energy from? Was she not exhausted after fighting, swimming and supporting him all the way here?

Her head drooped occasionally, but she straightened and continued, a concerned frown on her face while she concentrated about her spells. She had a long way to go, as his wound was still bleeding, and the spells were weak. That was mostly due to the materia, and not a result of her skills. At least he could breathe properly again. But her worried face still annoyed him to no end.

"I'm... sorry..." he heard her whisper, and watched her eyes as they were about to close in exhaustion.  
"I can't do it any more..." she finished. Then she moved her tired hazel gaze to his jade orbs. Her expression looked so guilty she might as well have claimed _she_ was the one who shot him. But she was not. Rufus was the one to blame, and she had shot Rufus in return for what he did to Sephiroth. She had taken his revenge for him and now she looked completely worn out. Her hands were trembling when she pulled them back.

Sephiroth figured he should say something. No matter how much he disliked it, he would not have been here if she had not helped him. He would have been at the bottom of the ocean. The Lifestream would summon his spirit as he died, and he would become one with the energy and knowledge of the Planet that he had once searched for while living.

"...Your concern is appreciated," he said in a silent voice while still watching her. Mika flashed him a faint smile while knitting her eyebrows, looking even more guilty than before. What? Why did she do that? ...Was that not the correct thing to say? After forcing herself to perform one final Cure spell, she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it very gently. She flashed him one last smile and rose from the floor next to his bed. Then she stumbled her way to the bed next to his own and lay down. After having pretty much overworked herself completely, she fell asleep in less than minutes.

His wound still hurt, but he would make it. Of course he would. After all, he was Sephiroth. Then he recalled how the houses outside looked. His features darkened considerably as he remembered. This was Nibelheim, was it not? This was where it had all started so many years ago. He had put the entire town on fire. With the vague memory of what had happened back then in mind, he was once again taken off guard as his mind thoughts seemed to slowly shut down.

Then he fell asleep.

* * *

**R.R.**  
(-oh noes!-)


	16. Nibelheim

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.  
Do you like... Vincent?

* * *

**Nibelheim – Visitors**

* * *

Sephiroth woke up very early because of the faint pain in his chest. His wound had yet to be fully healed, but he had recovered some energy during the night. Therefore he reached for the Restore materia that Mika had left on the table next to his bed. He could heal the wound himself. After picking up the materia he sat up slowly, rolling the small glass orb in his still gloved hand.

Then, as he started healing his wound, the materia simply shattered.

Before the shards scattered everywhere, he managed to cover his injury with his other hand. Why did it shatter? He vaguely recalled how much Mika had used it the day before. Apparently _she _was not the only one who had overworked herself. The materia must have reached its limit as well. Sephiroth frowned. So much for his plans to 'save time'. They would probably be stuck here for a while if they could not find another Restore materia somewhere.

He turned slowly to watch Mika. She was still asleep. As his gaze observed her pale face and continued down, he noticed something about one of her legs. A gash ran from the top of her boot and down to the ankle, and the sheets were red under it. Her boot was all torn up, half of it hanging down. When had that happened? Narrowing his eyes, he remembered how she had supported him while they walked to Nibelheim yesterday.

..._Masamune?_

On the way here, he had been holding his long sword in his hand while his arm rested over her shoulder. It was likely that the sword had slashed her leg by accident without him noticing.  
How inattentive of him.

Turning around completely, he placed his legs on the floor in front of his bed. Then he rose and walked around the bed, closer to her, and squatted down.

"Mika," he said in a very quiet voice. Then he nudged her shoulder. To his relief, her eyes fluttered open. Her tired eyes widened slightly as she saw he was right next to her and he was pleased to see some color return to her face. Mika continued to gaze at him, still half asleep. He could smell her faint, sweet scent even now, despite the fact that the rain and seawater from yesterday had yet to dry completely. As he kept looking into her eyes to see if he could spot any signs of dizziness from blood loss, her hazel orbs moved back and forth between his two eyes slowly.

Not speaking, Mika just watched him. The moment her eyes stopped moving, their gazes locked. Then he felt drawn to her in the strangest way. He moved closer - and she did not pull away. An odd feeling of thoughts rushing through every last corner of him filled him, but he could not quite grasp any of them. Upon seeing that he was now _very _close to Mika, he stopped. He stared at her for some long seconds, watching her cheeks redden only a little, then he pulled away.

He returned to his bed and sat down, averting his gaze to the floor in front of him. By now, he should have been thinking 'Why?' and 'What was that?' and similar things, but he did not. He knew what had happened, and he also knew very well why. And it bothered him to no end. The next question to enter his mind was 'How?'. Was it Jenova's doing? ...No. Jenova had disliked Mika from the beginning. In fact, that was one of the reasons Sephiroth had bothered with Mika at all. By rebelling against Jenova without her being able to do anything to punish him, he knew he was still in control.

Movement caught his eyes and he looked up to see Mika stand up in front of him. She looked down at the shards of the Restore materia with a worried frown. Then she limped over to the door and went down the stairs and out of his sight. Sephiroth got to his legs and followed, careful not to strain himself, which could be bad for his injury. He hoped she would do the same, and walked out of the Inn just in time to see her walk into another building. He remembered it; it was the item shop. Wondering if they had healing items, he walked closer. But once he was in front of the door, he came to a halt and looked north.

The old Shinra Mansion looked just like he remembered it.

* * *

Mika looked through the drawers, searching for anything at all with healing abilities. To her disappointment, there was not even a potion in there, much less materia. That meant she and Sephiroth had to heal on their own. The wound she had on her leg hurt, but she would make it just fine. She was more worried about Sephiroth, whose chest wound had still not healed completely. It had to hurt, at least a little.

Speaking of Sephiroth, she had never been more embarrassed her entire life. He had been close enough to _kiss_ her. The thought alone would be enough to make her cheeks flourish with the color red, but as it were, her blush was dimmed thanks to her blood loss. Her cheeks were still pale. After finishing her search, she turned around to exit the house again.

To her surprise, Sephiroth was there, right outside. He gazed in the direction of the Shinra Mansion with dark eyes. Mika wondered if it was of hate, or if it could possibly be regret. Was the old Sephiroth still beneath that cold exterior of his? After watching him for some long seconds, she walked up to him and made him aware of her presence. As his eyes lowered to her they softened, though only a little. She flashed him a relieved smile, but it soon disappeared.

"There wasn't any healing items in there..." she said, barely audible. He searched her face with his jade orbs. Then he rose his gaze to the mansion again.  
"...There may be some in there," he suggested silently. She didn't know what to say, so she just looked at the mansion herself. The old house looked dark and gloomy, and not too inviting.

Upon seeing Sephiroth start to walk closer to the building, she limped after him. He walked slowly. Whether it was because of his injury or her tardy limping, she couldn't tell. Once they were at the gates of the garden belonging to the old mansion, Sephiroth raised his arms and opened them. For some seconds he just stood there, observing, but then he walked towards the mansion with determined steps. This time he walked fast enough to leave Mika behind. He opened the main doors and walked into the shadows of the house, and Mika followed - but he was nowhere to be seen once she actually came inside.

The gloomy hall was dark and dusty. For a minute she considered going back to the house in which they had spent the night, but a part of her wanted to follow Sephiroth. If she only knew where he had disappeared to. She had only caught a glimpse of him walking up the stairs and to the right.

"Hello?" she said, and felt as if her voice was loud enough to make all the beings and fiends in the mansion wake up. The hollow echoes of her single word came back to her and she decided not to try speaking again. First she had to find Sephiroth. Heading forward, she walked up the stairs with some difficulties. Perhaps he was right – there _could_ be some healing items in there.

Mika limped to the right and went through the first door she saw, following footprints in the thin layer of dust on the floor. Then she continued into yet another room connected to the first one – one with a strange hole in one of the walls. She approached it slowly and saw stairs going down into what she guessed had to be some sort of basement. The brick walls were damp and cold wind came running out of the place, and the wooden stairs looked ancient, to say the least. Sephiroth was down _there_? Slowly, Mika walked down the old stairs, staying close to the slippery wall rather than the rail-less edge of the creaking stair steps. Descending carefully for half a minute or so, she finally arrived in the cave-like basement and continued limping. If possible, the walls down here were even damper, and the air smelled a little like earth. She ignored the first door on her left and kept walking until she limped into what looked like a library (one that was suspiciously dry compared to the narrow, dark hall that led there).

Could _this_ be where Sephiroth had learned the truth about Jenova?

Then she spotted Sephiroth. He was standing in the middle of the room, between two tall shelves that held hundreds of books – each book stuffed with papers and pictures and whatnot, all of them seemingly put into the shelves at random. His back was facing her and Mika wondered if he had heard her coming. There were, after all, lots of small animals and fiends lurching about, making little sounds of their own. Should she perhaps announce her late arrival? ...He was awfully still. Hesitantly, her mouth opened as she was about to say something, wanting him to know she was there as well.

But she was abruptly stopped from saying anything at all as something clasped around her mouth and her nose, and then something else – colder, harder – locked around her arms and waist and lifted her off the floor. Mika was carried away away while struggling her best to get free, but whoever held her was obviously not going to let her go.

Only seconds later – because whoever held her was fast – she heard the faint sound of a door opening behind her and increased her struggle as she was pulled inside and the door closed.

"..._Quiet_," she heard, and froze. The dark and low voice caused shivers to run down her spine and she instantly obliged to the cold order. Who knew what would happen if she didn't? After making sure she stayed still, his grip around her eased and he let go. She jerked around to see who he was, but her quick move made her trip and fall to the floor as her leg couldn't support her. That only made it all worse.

In front of her was a man who was nearly as tall as Sephiroth. His hair was long and raven black and he wore black clothes and a dark red, torn cloak. He was paler than anyone she had ever seen before, without a doubt. But what frightened her the most was his intense, red eyes. His crimson gaze scrutinized her, his orbs strong enough to conquer that of Sephiroth as he towered above her.

"Who...?" she managed, and forced a frown onto her face. She didn't want to look frightened. Still, she was pretty sure her eyes were wide.

The man lowered to face her.

"That was Sephiroth," he stated, ignoring her question. She did nothing to confirm his statement. He moved his red stare down to her injured leg.  
"...He did that?" he questioned. Mika blinked. Yes, he _did,_ but not on purpose.

"If he did, why did you try confronting him? He is capable of killing in less than a second, without hesitation," he said. _Confront? _Did this man think she was going to fight Sephiroth back there? Did she look that stupid? Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath.

"If killing me was his goal, I would already be dead," she said, her voice sounding pitiful compared to his. At this, his red gaze locked with hers with more force than before.  
"...True enough," he admitted, and then rose to his feet.

"Who shot him?" he asked, still quietly, observing her as she got to her feet and dusted her clothes briefly.

_Rufus did. _  
"That doesn't matter. I shot the man who did it," she said, with a lot more confidence than she actually had. At this, the man arched a brow. Then, just as he was about to say something else, he turned to the door. Had he heard something?

Before she could tell what happened, the man slid his gauntleted arm around her waist to keep her from running and pointed his three-barrelled gun to her head.

The door opened. It did so very slowly, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. Behind, in the dim light from the library, stood Sephiroth. He was utterly still, a dangerously deep frown on his face as he watched them. His jade eyes glowered – _burned_ – more than she had ever seen them do before. As his intense, burning gaze moved from her and over to the man who held her, the man tightened his grip around her.

"...Vincent Valentine, is it?" Sephiroth asked, his voice so dark and venomous she just barely recognized it. The man, apparently named Vincent, tightened his grip around his gun, which was still aimed at her temple.  
"Sephiroth, son of Hojo and Lucrecia, is that correct?" Vincent countered. At this, Sephiroth's frown deepened even more. Stifling the whimper she was about to utter, Mika felt his energy starting to flow from him and watched as he found some materias.

"That would be unwise," Vincent warned as he watched Sephiroth raise one of the materias.

* * *

Sephiroth observed the scene in front of him. Vincent held Mika tightly so she would not move and was pointing his gun at her. The three-barrelled gun provoked him, and he felt energy rush into the materia he held. Then he cast a powerful Sleep spell, aiming for Vincent. If he used any other spell, he could risk hurting Mika, and he did not wish for that to happen. He missed as Vincent jerked to the right, taking Mika with him. However, as the spell was fast, she was hit in the chest and her eyes widened for a second. Then, slowly, her body went limp in Vincent's arms, forcing him lower to the floor not to lose her. This only provoked Sephiroth even more, and he gathered energy to use yet another spell.

"Stop, or she dies. State your purpose," Vincent demanded coldly and Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. He did not stop gathering his energy in the materia, but did not cast any spells either.

And he did not reply.  
"...Are you going to summon Meteor again?" Vincent asked. At that very moment, due to his now increasing flow of energy, Sephiroth's wound opened. Blood started trickling from it, running down his chest, which was already covered in dried blood from the day before. He ignored it.

"That... remains to be seen," he replied, and his eyes flickered in Mika's direction. Vincent narrowed his eyes, probably thinking about the answer Sephiroth had given him. Then, to Sephiroth's surprise, Vincent let go of Mika, carefully leaving her on the floor in front of him, and moved his gun away from her. Then he put it away completely. This took Sephiroth aback and he narrowed his eyes while watching Vincent intently. What were his motives? Pulling away from Mika, who was now on the floor, Vincent got to his feet slowly, his crimson eyes never leaving Sephiroth.

"...As one who has failed others, I can only hope that you will not do the same," he muttered, his voice dark. While still holding his glowing materia in front of him, Sephiroth walked over to Mika and bent down to her sleeping form. Then he scooped her up into his arms, his own burning jade orbs never leaving the cloaked man. Once he rose to his feet, his chest started to ache again and he paused.

"You... What could you possibly gain by letting me go? What are you plotting?" Sephiroth demanded, his voice heavy with spite, yet not as much as before. Vincent lowered his head so his mouth was hidden behind his cloak.

"This is my way of repenting for my sins. You are the son of Lucrecia, and though she is not here to witness it, I am letting you go for her sake," he answered silently. Was that woman more important than his comrades, then?  
"...What about your journey to seek and destroy me? I doubt your companions will accept your way of _repenting_ if said action includes letting me leave like this," Sephiroth challenged. Vincent rose his head at this and gave a short, unexpected smirk.

"What if I challenge you to repent as well? With her help?" he countered, glancing at Mika. Sephiroth refrained from replying. Mika did not want him to summon Meteor, and he could understand that, somehow. But expecting him to _repent_? Repent for actions in the past, long gone?

Sephiroth turned and left, without looking back. Vincent did not follow him.

Increasing his speed, Sephiroth walked up the winding stairs and exited the small room that led to the basement. Then he walked down the stairs in the main hall and left the mansion without closing the doors behind him. He did not slow down even after walking through the gate.

Only when he had carried her all the way back to the Inn they stayed in, he allowed himself to stop. Mika slept in his arms, but although she was not exactly frowning, she did not look peaceful. That spell had been rather strong; he wondered how long she would sleep. For all he knew she could be out for days. Deciding to ignore that for the time being, he walked up the stairs and entered the large bedroom and then placed her gently on one of the clean beds. For a very short moment he considered cleaning the sheets on the beds they had used last night, but dismissed the thought as soon as it crossed his mind.

Instead he took a shower. He was careful with the wound of his, though, as fresh blood was still running slowly from it. He found a bathrobe, which he wore while once again cleaning his dirty and bloody clothes. When he returned upstairs, once again wearing his own clothes, he stopped in his tracks. On the table next to Mika, he saw three things.

Two Elixirs and one Remedy.

He jerked around to see if there was anyone in the room, but it was empty, except for himself and Mika. But the window was open. Had Vincent been there? Had he left by using the window upon hearing Sephiroth come? He shook his head. What was this sudden _trust_ about? What did Vincent think Mika could do for Sephiroth? As if watching her would give him an answer, he turned to the woman. Keeping one eye on her, he walked closer and grabbed the Remedy from the desk. He then used it on Mika, who stirred briefly, then her eyes fluttered open as the Sleep spell broke. For the second time that day, she looked him right in the eyes. Wearing an expression that probably looked rather dull, he turned away and took both of the Elixirs. Meanwhile, she sat up sleepily and accepted one of them as he handed it to her.

"What happened? And what happened to that man?" she asked.

Sephiroth could not withhold a small smirk.  
"...Despite happenings of the past, he decided to _help_," he answered, imagining how Cloud's face would look if he found out. He doubted Cloud would believe that Sephiroth had 'gone good'. Mika smiled slightly, but didn't comment it.

After inspecting the bottle and what it was for, she poured the Elixir on her leg and the gash caused by Masamune vanished. Mika let out a sigh of relief and let a dazed smile caress her features. Sitting down next to her (she had moved over a little) and facing away from her, Sephiroth held the small bottle over the wound on his chest and poured it out as well, waiting for it to start working. It did – the pain vanished and he could feel his energy returning in waves. It pulsed through the air, making Mika blink a little. He took a deep breath, enjoying how it felt to breathe without his chest hurting and threatening to burst. It was a spectacular feeling, and he could not quite explain it. Suddenly feeling completely fine, Mika jumped off her bed and turned to him, equally refreshed.

"That felt good... But..." she mumbled, looking out the window.

"Well... Now I'm hungry instead. I think I'm going to make some food. Hopefully there's something in the freezer I can use..." she said. He could only guess, but was pretty certain she had been hungry all along, but she only noticed it now that the pain in her leg was taken care of. The gash left by his Masamune on the way here, when she had supported him.

Thirty minutes later the scent of soup filled every corner of the large house. After eating, Mika took a shower as well. When she exited the bathroom her clothes were clean too, but she held one of her boots in her hand – the one torn by his sword. Sephiroth observed with mild interest as she searched through the drawers in the house. Upon finding a needle and some thread, she started fixing the gash left in the boot. She struggled for a while, but she seemed to be quite satisfied with the results. After fixing it she also cleaned the bed sheets (which she hung to dry all over the place where they would not be in the way).

When they (or she) were finally done (and satisfied, for that matter), it was already quite late.

"When will we leave?" Mika asked in a muffled voice, resting on her bed with her face in the pillow.  
"...Tomorrow. As early as possible," he informed. He had just come up with that on the spot, but he was not planning to tell that to _her._ Mika raised her head from her pillow and nodded at his answer. Then Sephiroth remembered what happened to Rufus.

He walked over to Mika – who had propped her head on her hands – and squatted down in front of her, next to her bed. She turned a little.

"...Thank you for disposing of Rufus," he said, meaning it – especially the last part. Her eyes widened upon hearing his words. For a minute he wondered if he should have thanked her at all; he had never thanked anyone before - at least not directly. Then she gave him a wide, warm smile.

For a long moment, his face hovered dangerously close to her, his jade eyes moving to every inch of her face to take in her features. He even felt her breath on his skin, and wondered if she felt his. Just in case she did not, he raised his head only slightly and sighed soundlessly. Upon feeling his breath on her skin, Mika shivered. He smirked. If he bent just a little bit closer, their noses would touch. He felt his energy build and rush inside him, wanting to leave; to be used. As his gaze once again moved from her slightly red cheeks and to her hazel eyes, he had to struggle not to lean closer.

"Good night," he said, and forced himself to pull back. He rose to his feet and walked over to his own bed with an odd feeling of triumph inside. Then he removed his shoes and the long black coat and lay down. Glancing one last time at Mika, whose eyes were closed, he saw that she was still smiling. And her cheeks were a soft shade of red. He pulled the blanket around him.

Then, for the third time since he had first met her, he fell asleep.

* * *

**R.R.**  
To those of you who found it a little strange that Vincent let Sephiroth go: He did it because he could see that Sephiroth was attached to Mika:) Seeing as Sephiroth is the son of Vincent's beloved Lucrecia, he hopes that Mika can beat some sense into Sephiroth... And being a man of regret and repentance, Vincent wants to give Sephiroth a chance to be good... :)


	17. Nibelheim Reactor

Disclaimer: I still don't own Final Fantasy, much to my chagrin.  
Cloud's gang will show up, but not in this chapter :)  
I nearly worked my not-so-royal behind off by writing this story. Therefore I'd appreciate if you read everything without skipping paragraphs...

* * *

**Nibelheim Reactor - Disobedience**

* * *

Mika was awakened by a not so gentle push to her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, she saw Sephiroth standing in front of her bed. He wore his pants, but his upper body was bare. Upon seeing him like that, her cheeks reddened more than she liked and she turned away, holding her breath in surprise. After some long moments, she turned back _very_ slowly, thinking he would probably be fully dressed by the time she turned around completely. He wasn't. He just stood there, and she couldn't move her eyes off him, and her cheeks wouldn't pale and her goosebumps wouldn't go away. His fine muscles were perfectly toned and his pale skin nearly glowed in the light from the window. To make it all worse (or devastatingly better), the light fell on his skin in a way that made every single little shadow look like it was specially made for his chest and his muscles and his skin and just him in general. At least it couldn't get any worse.

Then he flexed his muscles, knowing she watched him.

This made her blush so much that she instantly grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her head to hide. She could only imagine how wide and content his smirk looked at the moment, and her blush darkened even more in embarrassment.

"Are you not going to get up?" he asked, and she could hear he was amused. His voice was practically soaked with light mirth and dark amusement. Mika frowned and wished she could disappear to somewhere he couldn't see how embarrassed she was.  
"...If I were made to jump out of bed, I'd sleep in the toaster," she mumbled. She felt the mattress shift only slightly just then – as if he was leaning against her bed.

Then his arms locked around her, and while she was still under her blanket he lifted her into the air. She gave a small cry of surprise upon being carried away.

"If that is the case, let us make sure you _do _sleep in the toaster. We do not have all day," she heard him say and when his speed increased, she kicked and waved her arms and legs in a desperate attempt to get free. He only tightened his grip.

"Hey! You're not going to- You're not serious, are you?" she asked, her voice muffled by her blanket.  
"As I said: We do not have all day," he responded in a voice that was devoid of emotion, yet slightly lighter than usual.

"But now I'm already out of bed!" Mika exclaimed as she felt them descend the stairs and enter the kitchen.

There, he let her down.

"Then let us make sure you _stay _out of bed," he said. She pulled the blanket off, well aware that her cheeks were most likely scarlet. Determined to get her revenge, she reached for his abs and tickled him, at loss of anything better to do. His muscles flexed as he felt her touch and he grabbed both of her wrists to avoid her from touching his skin. Some long seconds passed in silence between the two of them, but the moment came to an end when she smiled in sinister triumph as she thought she had found a weak point. After all, his senses were far more sensible than that of a normal human... His skin had to be _exceptionally_ sensible to whatever touched it. And she couldn't stop her leer from growing.

"You..." he said in a dark voice and narrowed his eyes at her. Her triumphant smile faded and she looked back at him hesitantly. Then he let go.

"...I will go get dressed," he said, then left the room. Mika pouted by herself, knowing it would be harder to tickle him when he had all his clothes on. That was obviously something he was aware of. Perhaps it was for the best. If she tried tickling him again, who knew what he would do? She picked up her blanket from the floor and put it around her shoulders, making it look like a white cloak. Then she started making some soup similar to the one she had made the day before.

When Sephiroth returned, fully dressed this time, they both sat down to eat.

"So... Where will we go to next?" she asked with food in her mouth.  
"...To be honest, I hardly believe it will make a difference even if we hurry. In fact, if we delay our 'visit' to the final reactor, Shinra may believe Rufus actually killed me. That would lower their guard considerably. The more time we spend to get there, the lower Shinra's guard will be," he explained, with much more dignity than she had spoken with. She consciously swallowed her food before replying this time.

"So much for 'We do not have all day'," she mocked, earning a look from his jade eyes.  
"That was merely because I would like to pay a visit to the broken Nibelheim reactor," he informed, this time sounding more serious. Mika watched him, silently wondering why he wanted to visit that old place in the mountains. Wasn't that where he...?

"Okay," she said, giving a fain smile.

* * *

After Mika had packed some food and they had fetched their weapons, they left the house. The reactor was to the north. Personally, Sephiroth did not have any particular reason to go there, he just wanted to. And being Sephiroth, he usually got what he wanted. No matter what that might be.

"Huh? ...The sun isn't even up yet!" Mika exclaimed as they left the house, distraught and annoyed.

"Actually, it has already risen. The mountains keep us from seeing it," Sephiroth explained, once more finding himself entertained by her expression. Come to think of it, he had never seen her truly angry. She was usually content and occasionally a little sulky or displeased. Then, if she became furious for some reason, how would that look..?

They started walking in the direction of the Shinra mansion and walked past it in silence. Sephiroth wondered if Vincent was still there, or if he had gone to tell his friends about the himself and Mika. He dismissed the thought fairly fast; after all, the two of them would be gone before Avalanche came.

"Aren't we going to fly?" Mika asked from next to him. He had already considered it.

"No. Though I doubt there are many people up in the mountains, we should not take any risks. If even one person sees us flying, rumors will spread. Shinra will definitely find out that we are alive, and if that happens, surely Rufus will be eager to get his revenge," he said. It would not surprise him at all if Shinra already believed they were alive, but if they kept hiding, Shinra might eventually start thinking that Sephiroth had returned to the Lifestream. And if they thought he was in the Lifestream, they would also think it would take a while before he returned. Thus, they would let down their guard.

Mika and Sephiroth kept walking from Nibelheim and to a trail leading to the old reactor. They followed the track, occasionally passing some crossing paths. Sephiroth knew where to go, though, and he also knew Mika followed him. Come to think of it, she was the first person to trust him to such a degree. Sure, people had followed his orders back when he was a Soldier, but _now_ he was labelled 'criminal' and 'murderer' by everyone who knew about him. Even so, Mika relied on him. Something about that was pleasing. Then again, perhaps it was simply in her nature to be... _foolish_? Upon reaching the bridge leading up to the reactor, he came to a halt. Time to see just how much she trusted him.

"Are we going to cross this bridge?" she asked, sounding calm enough as she eyes the sturdy-looking bridge.

"Yes. The last time I crossed it, it broke," he said, making sure he could see her expression. Her eyebrow twitched upon hearing him say that, and she glared at the bridge in distaste. Then, to his surprise, she walked onto it before he had the chance to do so himself. She hurried upward, speed increasing by the second, and once she got to the other side she stopped, breathing heavily. Sephiroth followed, albeit in a more dignified manner. This bridge was, without a doubt, newer than the old one and seemed to be much stronger.

Once on the other side, he saw that Mika had already recovered and was breathing only a little faster than usual. Her stamina had improved considerably from the first time they met. In turn, he had become calmer than he used to be. They were opposites in a way, but shared interests such as their dislike for Shinra and its actions. But he was still stronger than her. And more dangerous by far. Come to think of it, he had never seen her take out too many fiends. He remembered the Midgar Zolom and some of the Shinra guards back in Wutai that she had neutralized with some gunshots. Then there was Rufus, of course.

After walking until past noon, they finally arrived outside the reactor. It was tall and gloomy with rusty and dirty walls. It was no longer functioning, so Shinra was not too interested in it. They left it unguarded. It would not surprise him the least if fiends lived inside now; people had probably not been here for a couple of years, with only a few exceptions. He approached the large building with Mika next to him. The last time he had been there, Zack had tried to stop him before he went too far. However, Sephiroth almost killed him - and in turn, he had been stabbed by Cloud from behind. Then he had jumped down into the depths of the reactor, into the Lifestream, with the head of Jenova cradled in his arms.

"Gloomy..." Mika remarked as they entered. They had to climb down some ladders to get to the main level, and entered a room lit by small, red lamps. Though the reactor was abandoned, the flickering lights had yet to be turned off. There were lots of machines in there, each of them empty and none functional. Mika looked around while Sephiroth walked up the stairs and over to the previously sealed door in the middle of the room. She followed him when he opened it and entered the main chamber of the old reactor.

The large room was lit by white and blue lamps that gave everything inside a Mako-like hue. Sephiroth heard her stop behind him as she watched him continue up to stand in front of the case in which Jenova had once been kept. His grip on Masamune tightened instinctively as he felt Jenova stir within him. He could feel her trying to take control, but did not give her even the slightest bit of it.

"What a place... This is the first time I've been to a reactor without plans of destroying it," he heard Mika say, and her voice echoed in the enormous room. He could not see the bottom even if he tried – all he saw was darkness. But he knew from experience that if they were to jump down, they would land in a sea of Mako.

The Lifestream.

"...To destroy it is rather tempting," he said. Demolishing the old building would mean erasing the things that had happened there in a way. It would always be referred to as 'history' in a book, but there would be very little actual _evidence_ of the things that once happened there if he were to destroy it. Even so, they should not draw unnecessary attention to themselves, and therefore they would avoid demolishing it.

Turning around, he faced Mika. She looked odd in the blue light, as if she were someone else. But as her gaze rose to him and she flashed him a smile, he knew for sure that she was the same person she used to be. He walked down to her from the heart of the reactor and joined her as she walked out of the large room. Just having been here was enough.  
He was content.

* * *

The two of them left the old reactor in silence and followed the path leading down to the other side of the mountain range. As afternoon took the place of noon they were at the end of the rocky path. Sephiroth suggested staying there for the night, which Mika didn't mind. He even let her make a small fire, small enough not to draw attention. After they had both settled, Mika found the food she had prepared earlier.

"I made sandwiches again this time," Mika said absently and brought out some wrapped sandwiches. While in Nibelheim she had found bread and necessary ingredients in the freezer. Though the entire town was abandoned, with the exception of Vincent Valentine, the electricity was not turned off. Thus the food was not rotten. Mika had made some tea as well, which she had poured it into her empty water bottle. As she found it from one of her pockets, Sephiroth eyed it suspiciously.

"...Sorry. I made tea, but only enough to fill my own bottle..." she mumbled and put the bottle next to her, looking only half guilty. Then she ate her large sandwich, seemingly enjoying it. Upon finishing, she reached for the bottle of tea only to find that it wasn't there. She looked down at the spot where she had left her tea, then raised her eyes to Sephiroth. He held it in one hand, having emptied half the bottle already.

"Hey! You could have asked! I would have given you some," she said, glaring at him. He ignored her and was about to drink some more.  
"Stop! You've already had half of it! I want some too!" she exclaimed. He pretended not to hear her and started drinking again, face devoid of reactions to her words. Wanting to stop him before he emptied the entire bottle, Mika crawled around the fire and reached for it. He held it out of her reach and looked at her in what was apparently disinterest. She stretched her arm even more, and got a little closer to it. By now she was dangerously close to Sephiroth, who still looked as calm as ever.

"Give it to me," she said, which earned her a look from Sephiroth, whose eyebrows rose.  
"Or else?" he asked, sounding bored. Mika narrowed her eyes as she came up with an idea.

"Or else I'll tickle you," she stated simply, thinking her move was smart. Sephiroth smirked.  
"...I doubt you are the only one capable of _tickling_," he said, speaking the latter word as if it tasted bad in his mouth. At this, Mika's smile vanished and she pulled back her arm as fast as she could manage. He dropped the bottle to the ground and reached for her and she rolled over to avoid him. Mika wasn't the most ticklish person on the Planet, that was for sure, but she doubted Sephiroth was bad at tickling. He would find her weak spots within only seconds and make her laugh until she died, then he would somehow use his tickling skills to revive her and then tickle her to death one more time. He'd even enjoy it.

She looked over her shoulder to see if he was still reaching for her, but to her surprise, he wasn't there. Mika frowned. By then it was so dark she wouldn't have seen anything at all if it wouldn't have been for the small fire. She looked around carefully, but couldn't see him anywhere. Then she made her way over to where Sephiroth had been sitting earlier and grabbed the bottle of tea. There wasn't much left, but at least there was _something._ Still glancing around occasionally, she moved over to her side of the fire and emptied the bottle while thinking. _Where did he go?_ Not that she cared; he would probably be back soon enough.

Hopefully without frightening her.

After just sitting there for a while, she eventually let down her guard down completely. She just couldn't help it.

After all, Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen, so it couldn't hur-

"Letting down you guard?" a silent, dark voice murmured into her ear and she jerked around to look right into Sephiroth's jade orbs, which were dangerously close to her face. She saw the reflection of the fire in them and just stared.  
"That is unwise," he added in a whisper, making her shiver.

"Where-Where did you go?" she asked in a slightly trembling voice. He flashed a smirk.  
"Nowhere. I was here all the time, in the shadows," he said silently, and she heard amusement in his voice. Then she hurriedly wrapped her arms around her, wanting to shield herself if he tickled her. This only entertained him even more. Mika gathered what she had of courage and stared right into his jade eyes, brave and terrified.

"I am going to go to bed. Good night," she said in a steady voice, then turned away from him and lay down on the ground.

* * *

Sephiroth watched with fascination as she lay down, ignoring him completely. He smirked, but got to his feet and walked over to the other side of the fire. He had never planned on drinking all that tea himself, but when Mika seemed to want some so much, he could not help but drink a little more just to see her reaction. These weeks had passed very fast and she was getting increasingly comfortable around him, and also much less frightened. He could, of course, have tickled her half to death if he wanted to. Back in Midgar he had even considered killing her.

That was no longer an alternative.

Although without knowing so herself, Mika amused him and kept him entertained. Sephiroth vaguely wondered if she found him amusing as well, but doubted it. He was not really a jovial person. Then what was it that made her tag along with him?

After throwing one last glance in Mika's direction, he lay down as well. She was still awake. Using the Sleep spell was an option, but she did not seem to be in the mood for it, so he chose not to bother. In an odd way he had come to respect her. Not much, though – only barely. He knew she respected him, because she was usually fine with it if he suggested something, and she acknowledged his decisions. But he was also getting a little tired of it, because he did not want to be the one to decide absolutely everything. That would make Mika some kind of puppet. She decided what kind of food they ate, yes, but _he_ was the only one who decided when and how they travelled.

A smirk fled across his face as he considered letting _her _decide where they should go the next day, as well as how to get there. After all, she had already made a vague plan after leaving Midgar, had she not? From then on she had tagged along with him, or as she said: _He_ had tagged along with _her_. The latter was incorrect, and he had strongly disapproved of it at first. Now, however, he did no longer mind if she came with him, or he came with her for that matter.

Before giving in to the increasingly familiar sleep, he made sure Mika fell asleep first. He had no particular reason for doing so, but did it nonetheless. Having her watch him in his sleep was not something he thought of with an awful lot of comfort.

Several hours later, he woke up upon feeling sunlight touch him and his surroundings. Without turning, he could tell the fire was cold and that Mika was still asleep. After only minutes, she stirred and he heard her wake up. He closed his eyes at a whim - well aware it would look like as if he were still asleep.

"...Sephiroth?" he heard her say, but he did not respond. Then he heard her shift quietly and move closer to him before making sure his breath was even. Once Mika sat down next to him, he wondered what she would do next. She thought he was asleep, did she not? He held back a smirk as he heard her hesitate next to him. Whether she would 'wake him up' or not was up to her, but she had better wake him up without tickling him.

If she did...

"Morning," she said in a silent voice, as if testing whether he was sleeping or not. Not once did he stir.  
"Seriously, with your super-trained senses and all, I thought that would wake you up," he heard her continue, a little louder, but he did not move even a little.

Then, after a short break, he felt her fingers on his slightly exposed skin as she tried tickling him, and before she knew what happened, she was on her back on the ground with Sephiroth hovering above her. He supported his elbows on the ground on either side of her while locking her shoulders with his hands. Her wide eyes stared up at him in shock and her mouth opened and closed slightly in a soundless attempt to explain what could not be explained. He gave a crooked smile while staring back, having caught her in the act. Admitting defeat, she gave him a lopsided and worried smile.

"I...I was only trying to wake you up..?" she tried weakly, cheeks reddening by the second. She tried moving, but he held her still. There was nothing else for them to look at besides each other, as his hair hid the surroundings from their view. Some of the sunlight made its way through the silver veil, however, adding a slight glow to their features. First she had tried waking him up by talking, then by tickling him. She could have used many other methods, such as nudging his shoulder, but she had chosen tickling.

That was very... _venturesome._

"There are other ways to wake people up, are there not?" he challenged. She flashed him another sheepish smile, smaller this time, and nodded weakly to him. Sephiroth eyed her.  
"Sorry... Forgive me?" she asked, her green-tinted hazel eyes glancing back and forth between his jade orbs. She tried to wiggle out of his grip again, but he stopped her once more. Watching her, he lowered his face slowly until they nearly touched, then gazed at her for some long seconds. She nearly stopped breathing, and her eyes widened.

"...I will consider it," he said in a barely audible murmur and she shivered below him. Very slowly, he pulled back and let go of her and she sat up while watching him carefully. She looked at him suspiciously.  
"Until then, I'll be on guard," she replied shakily, as if to herself, her voice barely audible. This earned her a smirk from Sephiroth. She was starting to learn now. Hopefully she would refrain from tickling him for a while after this. Sephiroth took hold of his Masamune and rose to his feet. Mika did the same, only she placed the Mako sword on her back. After hiding what was left of the small fire, she turned to him.

"Where next..?" she asked, slightly hesitant after their small incident.  
"...You decide," he replied.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Super-human senses have some disadvantages... Would _you_ have dared to tickle him? I mean, seriously? If he was asleep?  
Um, that said, **this **chapter needs reviews. And I do, too---


	18. Rocket Town

Disclaimer: I can not has Final Fantasy.

Gee. The chapter title just won't do as I tell it to. It clings to the left side.

* * *

**Rocket Town - Scheme**

* * *

"Huh? You want _me_ to decide?" Mika asked, a suspicious frown on her face while she watched him.  
"Yes," he replied simply in a monotone voice, not giving her a reason. This decision took her by surprise. Even so, she had to admit it made her feel pleased as well. She could show him that he wasn't the only one capable of organizing a journey. This was a chance and Mika didn't mind taking it; she wanted to give it a try.

"Okay," she said. She would try it if he meant what he said.  
"I know we shouldn't fly, but since you're so fast, do you think... I could ride on your back?" she asked, trying to sound as serious as possible. The very faint shade of red making its way to her cheeks did not help. Sephiroth seemed oblivious, or perhaps he just ignored it, and turned his back to her and bent down to one knee. Mika approached him slowly and put her hands on his shoulders. Then he rose to his feet and she tightened her legs around him not to fall down.

"...Rocket Town is nearby, right? I think we should go there," she suggested, and Sephiroth immediately started running, heading north. While he was busy moving, Mika thought of what to do once they arrived there. The villagers would recognize Sephiroth, so he should wait outside of town. Then she would go to the town and buy food and a Restore materia. No, two Restore materias, just in case one would break again. She doubted they would, though – that old and weak materia that broke back in Nibelheim had simply been of poor quality, with small cracks all over it. The new ones wouldn't have any of that.

Mika dismissed her thoughts for the time being and watched the landscape. The surroundings were like the outskirts of Junon. It was quite empty out here, with only a couple of ledges and bushes. There were some fiends as well, but they ran away upon seeing the two of them. Perhaps they were used to people killing them? That brought yet another thought to her. A member of Avalanche lived in Rocket Town, didn't he? The one with the airship. What was his name again..?

Anyway, they had to be careful not to be spotted.

After a while of running, Sephiroth slowed down. He started walking instead and Mika looked forward to see Rocket Town getting closer.

"If you stay here, I can go buy some food. I'll buy a couple of Restore materia too," she suggested. At this, Sephiroth stopped and turned his head around to face her. She couldn't read his expression, but he seemed fine with her proposal. He lowered a little and let her off.

"Very well," he said, and sat down in the grass with one arm resting on his knee. Mika flashed him a smile and waved as she walked away in the direction of the town. She just hoped none of the villagers would recognize her. Had Shinra stuck wanted posters all over for her and Sephiroth? Did they even have a picture of her? ...No, had they even told people in general that Sephiroth had returned? After walking for a while, she eventually entered the south end of the town. From there she proceeded carefully, but even after having seen her, the inhabitants paid no particular attention. She made her way past the Inn and the weapon shop, ignoring them as she already had ammunition for her gun and was not planning to stay in town for the night. She walked into the item shop and looked around warily.

"Can I help you?" the shop keeper asked and Mika walked up to the counter while still glancing around. She turned to him slowly.

"...I'm looking for Restore materia. Do you have any?" she asked, looking hopefully at him.  
"Ah, actually, we got some of those from Junon last month. We've sold a small lot this far," he said, and bent down behind the counter. Mika heard him search through boxes and shelves as he tried to find them.

"We didn't sell Restore materias before, but we have some of them now. How many do you want?" he asked, and stopped searching to hear her answer.  
"Two," she said, sounding as nonchalant as possible. She heard him find something in one of the boxes and watched him get to his feet again. Then he placed the two brand new, shiny Restore materias on the counter.

"Two, huh? Why not just one?" he asked, and Mika smiled awkwardly.  
"Actually, the last one I bought shattered. So I need an extra just in case..." she explained and the man gave her an understanding look.

"Aha... But what do you need materia for, then?" he asked, and Mika's thoughts raced through her mind.  
"Training. I'm planning to use only friendly spells to practise my magic abilities..." she said, giving him a sheepish smile. He laughed at her and flashed her a friendly grin upon hearing her explanation.

"I see! It's nice to see some good people once in a while, especially after all the Mako reactor bombing that's been happening lately. That'll be 1500 gil for both of them," he informed, and Mika found the required money and put it next to the materia, feeling impending economical bankruptcy.

"What do you mean, 'Mako reactor bombing'?" she asked, aiming to find out how much he knew.  
"Uh... Well, apparently the only reactor left is the huge thing in the Northern Crater. The other ones have been destroyed by some strong people. But from what I hear, Shinra killed them in Wutai... Their entire team of about five persons were wiped out by the Turks. It's a pity, really. Those reactors suck out the Lifestream. After the other reactors were ruined, Shinra just turned up the power of the reactor in the Northern Crater, so we're all back to square one again," the man told her, a troubled look on his face. Mika grabbed the two materias.

They didn't know about Sephiroth? Perhaps Shinra had planted a fake rumour on purpose. Mika and Sephiroth were most certainly not a 'five-man-team', though Sephiroth's strength would probably equal said number. Heck, all alone, he was a fifty-man team, and she was a quarter-of-a-man team. And Rufus Shinra wasn't even mentioned – the Turks were supposed to have killed her and Sephiroth. It made sense; saying that Sephiroth was alive would probably make people freak out. But did they really turn up the power of the last reactor after she and Sephiroth took out the other reactors? That meant their reactor demolishing had no effect.

"...Thanks. Do you know if I can buy food nearby?" she asked, rather quiet.

"The people of this village either make their own food and buy supplies directly from Junon, so they usually don't sell any food. But you can ask Shera. She lives in the house closest to the old launch pad," the man informed, and after thanking him, Mika left for the house in which Shera lived. She knocked at the door and waited. Only seconds later the door was opened and a man stared down at her with a frown on his face and a cigar in his mouth.

"What'cha want?" he asked in a husky voice and Mika watched him with wide eyes. Could he possibly be the airship owner himself? A member of Avalanche? Uh, say, what was his name – Cid?

"Um, is Shera in?" she asked, sounding like she was about to piss her pants. At that, his eyes narrowed to slits and he eyed her suspiciously.  
"...Yes, I am. Can I help you?" a sweet voice asked, and the man was pushed aside by a kindly looking woman wearing a white scientist coat.

"I-I just wondered if I could buy some food... I'm going to travel for a while and I need something to eat on the way," she said, glancing in Cid's direction. He scowled at Shera.  
"Of course, come inside!" she insisted and Mika entered.

While talking with Mika, Shera started baking. Not just bread, but also buns and cupcakes, which made Mika's stomach roar loudly enough to make her embarrassed. Mika hit her stomach several times with her fist in an attempt to stop the offending sounds, but it didn't work. Cid seemed to find this very entertaining and laughed out loud every time he heard it. Shera just smiled. After a while the food was finished and Shera put about half of it in a bag and handed it to Mika. When Mika wanted to pay her, Shera said she didn't need the money.

Even so, as Mika left, she slipped some money on the table without them noticing. She vaguely wondered whether they would be happy (referring to Cid) or pissed (also referring to Cid) when they noticed it, but hoped they would be pleased.

She carried the rather large bag out of town and walked south. In the beginning she couldn't see Sephiroth at all, but as she kept walking she eventually spotted him. He still sat on the ground with one arm resting on his knee, but his eyes were closed. Mika was aware he knew she was there and sat down a small distance away from him. She considered throwing a a cupcake on him, but then the tickling event made its way to her mind again and she dismissed her idea.

"Sephiroth, catch," she said and once he opened his eyes, she threw him a muffin. His hand snapped up from his knee and he caught it easily. And after she blinked, it was gone. He was obviously hungry, like her. Mika grinned and threw him some buns and a wrapped sandwich next. Shera had made some from the bread she had baked earlier.

* * *

Sephiroth caught the food Mika threw in his direction and glanced at the bag she held. It was much larger than the other bags she had brought earlier and that could only mean she had brought more food for a change. For once he could eat until he was full. Mika seemed to think the same, as her smile did not falter even while chewing.

"Which do you like the best? The buns, the cupcakes or the sandwiches?" she asked him after swallowing a rather large mouthful of the bun she held. He narrowed his eyes as he gave her question some thought. The cupcakes were sweet, and that was a change he did not entirely dislike. The taste was nice. The sandwiches, though he had eaten many of those lately, were still good. However, the sandwiches Mika made were better. The buns were also to his taste.

"The cupcakes," he answered simply. Mika smiled and put the rest of her bun into her mouth.

"...But your sandwiches are better," he added as a second thought, and purposely made an indifferent expression. Mika started coughing upon hearing his words. She bent forward and struggled for a short while, swallowing and clearing her throat several times, but kept coughing and hit her chest in an attempt to stop herself. Her bun had apparently gone off track. Once she finally stopped coughing, she rose her head to face him. Her eyes were rather tearful, but she still flashed him a sheepish smile.

"Hah... Sorry. And thanks, I like you too," she said, making Sephiroth blink.

He had not said he cared for her at all. Mika liked him? With narrowed eyes he watched the oblivious Mika, whose attention was elsewhere (namely on her water bottle). Hearing those words made him uneasy – like an abnormally unexpected puff of wind. Still – although in a strange way – it made him feel content. His feeling of calmness did not last, though, as Jenova was not at all that pleased to hear Mika's words.

"Oh, and I heard some things in town. It seems Shinra keeps its secrets well. No one knows about you. And people seem to think you and me are actually a five-man team that got wasted by the Turks," she informed. Sephiroth once again blinked, but this time it was out of displeasure. It was like a personal insult. Shinra did what they could to conceal the truth, as usual. Why? Because they did not want people to know he had returned? Perhaps because they did not want Cloud and his friends to show up. That made more sense.

Or did Shinra really believe he was dead, considering he fell into the ocean after being shot by Rufus?

"...And for every reactor we've destroyed, Shinra turns up the power of the reactor in the Northern Crater. I bet it's heavily guarded," Mika continued, which added to Sephiroth's annoyance.  
"But I have some good news as well. Here – I bought two," she said and threw a materia in his direction. His hand jerked up and he caught it. It was a Restore materia, whose quality was obviously a lot better than the one that broke earlier, but that didn't change the fact that it was of low level They would have to make the materias stronger.

"...How do you suggest we proceed?" he asked, watching the materia in his hand. If they wanted to travel to the northern continent, they needed to be careful not to be spotted. The longer they remained hidden, the lower Shinra's guard would become, and the two of them needed Shinra's guard to be low.

"I already have a plan. When I was waiting for the food, I heard that Cid, one of the Avalanche members, is going to head out in his airship tomorrow. He mentioned something about picking up the others and take them to the Northern continent. We can sneak aboard," Mika said.

She had obviously forgotten the most obvious thing of all the obvious facts. He was Sephiroth, and he strongly doubted any member of Avalanche would take it lightly if they found him aboard their airship. Then again, if he did not want to be spotted, he would not be spotted.

"Tomorrow..." he repeated, barely audible. In the corner of an eye he saw her give a nod.

Later the same day, as darkness once again shrouded them and night arrived, Sephiroth lay down quietly on the ground. He had told Mika that she could go to the Rocket Town Inn if she wished to, but he would remain where he was - for obvious reasons. He was not about to reveal himself for the sake of sleeping in a normal human bed. Mika, however, had insisted on staying here under the sky. At the moment she was sprawled on the ground with a barely visible smile on her face. She had been awake for a while, but it did not seem to trouble her.

It did trouble him. Slightly annoyed, he found his materia and cast Sleep in her direction. He made sure he did not use too much energy, as that would pose a problem if she did not wake up the next morning. Her breath instantly slowed down and evened.

Earlier, they had decided not to make a fire, as they were so close to the village that it would draw unnecessary attention. Therefore fiends were closer than usual. So Sephiroth stayed awake. The monsters were curious, but once they realized he and Mika were humans, they ran off. Some were a little braver than that and moved closer than they should. Sephiroth considered killing them, but then he remembered the Restore materia. This was a chance to level it up.

Still on the ground, he rose his arm up while holding two materias; His Restore materia and an All materia. Combining the two, he used Cure spells on all the fiends that approached. They jumped back and some fled as if he had used an attack. They got confused upon being healed, as they were expecting to be hurt, and some of them hesitated. A few even approached even more. Sephiroth kept healing them, determined to level up the Restore materia. All his other materias were mastered, after all. When a fiend came too close, he put some extra effort into the Cure spell and healed it many times consecutively.

The creatures that were hit lurched around some more but eventually left in a rather drunk manner as a result of his strong spells. The overdose of Cure spells caused them dizziness and gave them some trouble getting away, but it worked nonetheless. Several hours and countless fiends later the materia gave an eerie glow, signalizing that it had grown to its next level. Satisfied, Sephiroth put away the materias and waited for the sun to rise.

He did not have to wait for long. The sun lit the surroundings and instantly warmed Sephiroth as its light hit him, and the fiends loitered away, knowing they should not hesitate for too long in daylight within sight of Rocket Town. He sat up and watched with slight amusement the many monsters that remained. They were all sprawled on the ground, most of them with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, and nearly all of them were in a strange position. The consecutive Cure spells had obviously gotten to them – they were all asleep.

Awaiting some sort of entertaining reaction, he turned to Mika when he noticed her shift as the sunlight woke her up. After opening her eyes, she sat up and stared at the fiends, first shocked, then stupefied, then suspicious.

"Huh... You did that?" she asked in a husky, tight voice, watching the creatures.  
"They are not dead," he replied, not answering her question. She calmed a little and flashed a small, tired smile.

"That's good..." she mumbled. After throwing a final glance in their direction, she found the bag of food and threw him some cupcakes and yet another sandwich. They ate in silence, knowing what they were going to do next. The airship could be leaving in minutes for all they knew, but it could also stay there for hours before even moving. It all depended on how Cid felt that morning.

Once they were done eating, the bag was empty and only crumbs remained. At least they were full. Knowing the airship was north of Rocket Town, they started walking in a large circle around the town in order not to be seen. When they started walking, Mika gave some of the fiends a push or a small kick to wake them up. They shifted, and once they saw the two humans, they jerked up and ran off. Seeing all the slumbering fiends would definitely confuse the villagers. Once a few of the fiends woke up, they ran away in a hurry while crashing into other sleeping fiends as they ran. Thus, most of the fiends woke up and escaped. It was an odd, but amusing sight.

After the small event, Mika and Sephiroth continued walking north. It did not take long before they arrived at their destination. The huge airship towered above them, making them seem small in comparison. Mika stared at it in awe and her mouth was slightly open. Without a word Sephiroth moved a hand and put a finger under her chin, then closed her mouth. Her gaze moved from the airship to him and she gave him a small, apologetic smile.

With some help from Sephiroth, they found the entrance and Mika tried opening the door. To her surprise it was already open. Was Cid already inside, or was he foolish enough to leave his airship unlocked? The latter would not surprise Sephiroth at all. They walked inside and as if on cue, they heard voices from outside. Sephiroth noticed approaching steps as well. Mika was alert enough to open the first door she saw and hurried inside, shortly followed by a much calmer Sephiroth, whose strides were much quieter. He did not have to hurry; he would get inside before the people arrived anyway.

Once they were both inside, Mika closed the door. The room was so dark that he could see nothing at first. As he gradually got used to the darkness, he heard someone outside.

"What are you planning to do?" a dark voice asked. Sephiroth recognized his voice at once.

Vincent Valentine.

"I dunno, ask Cloud. We'll meet him tomorrow at Icicle Inn. But before that, we have to pick up the rest of Avalanche," someone replied in a husky voice - obviously Cid.

"Where are they?" Vincent asked.  
"Well... Tifa, Barret and Cait Sith are in Midgar. Yuffie and Red XIII are in Cosmo Canyon. Cloud will be waiting in Icicle..." Cid answered, and their voices faded as they walked out of Sephiroth's range of hearing. Why were they all going north? And more importantly, had Vincent told the rest of Avalanche about Sephiroth?

He tried opening the door, but it would not budge. It was locked – most likely a result of Mika's rushed closing of the door earlier. If they broke it open, Cid and Vincent would hear them. Scowling and sighing, he turned and walked over to the only other door in the room, which revealed a bathroom (at which Mika marvelled audibly). Then he turned to watch the only piece of furniture in the bedroom, which was even more distracting than the locked door:

A bed.

One.

Singular.

A disturbing feeling of déjà vu filled him as he recalled the last time this happened. The event in Gold Saucer was not something he had forgotten.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Déjà vu is that weird feeling you get when you feel like you've experienced a new situation in the past (something like that). Just in case you didn't know... :)


	19. The Airship

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters, but I would buy Sephiroth if he were for sale.

...And I'm still being evil to the two of them...

* * *

**The Airship - Stowaways**

* * *

Upon seeing the single bed in the faint light from the bathroom, Mika frowned deeply in distaste. This meant one of them had to sleep on the floor. Or in the bathroom. Perhaps not sleep at all, for that matter. Annoyed, she used her hands to search for the light switch, and once she found and pressed it, it didn't work. Her hand formed a fist as she felt tempted to hit something. However, fear of being revealed held her back and she turned to Sephiroth. He sat on the edge of the bed with closed eyes, scowling as well.

"Do you have something I can use to pick the lock?" she asked, doubting he had. Sephiroth shook his head slowly. It was annoying – she had practically everything she needed in the pockets of her coat, but not a lock pick. The door was old and had most likely locked by itself when she closed it. Not knowing what else to do, Mika let her eyes get more used to the dark room and turned away from the bathroom. Then she looked around the room for anything at all that could be of interest. A small and slightly covered vent caught her eyes from its position on the wall above the bed. Mika moved over to the bed and climbed up. Standing on the sheets, she reached up to the vent, and in the corner of an eye she saw Sephiroth turn to see what she was doing.

To her great delight, the vent plate was loose. _Like in a movie._ She removed it easily and from inside, she could hear some faint sounds. By the time she was about to lean closer to listen, Sephiroth had moved up next to her and looked into the black hole in the wall too. Mika watched as his eyes narrowed in concentration. Thinking he had heard the sounds as well, she didn't move an inch. Perhaps he could find out what it was. To her, it sounded like voices.

* * *

Sephiroth listened closely. The airship's engines had yet to start, so it was easy enough to hear the voices. However, the _words_ were not as easy to understand. But being Sephiroth, he deciphered the conversation with only slight difficulties. The ones talking were most likely in the control room.

"...Cloud insisted on helpin' those guys who got themselves _killed_ in Wutai. He doesn't think they're dead, because the Wutai reactor apparently had much fewer guards than the Gongaga reactor had, and so Cloud says he's sure they made it somehow," he heard Cid say. They were clearly unaware that Sephiroth, their greatest enemy, was one of the destroyers of the Mako reactors who they now wanted to _help_.

"He plans to join forces with them?" Vincent asked, wary.

"Yup. Or so he says. If they don't come, Cloud claims he'll take out that reactor on his own. That thing eats the Planet's energy like a sponge sucks beer. We can't let him go alone, eh? That kid'll get himself killed one day," Cid continued. Right after he said this, Sephiroth heard Cid start the airship and their voices were drowned out by the roar of the engines. He pulled back and stepped down from the bed, already deep in thought. Mika put the vent plate back to cover the air duct.

"...They said they were heading north... to help Cloud. He's apparently aiming for the reactor and seems to believe we are not dead. They do not know our identities yet. If they were to find out, they would undoubtedly leave us behind, or even attempt to kill us," Sephiroth told Mika, who listened to him while stepping down from the bed. The only one who knew about them was Vincent, and he had better stay quiet. Sephiroth remembered how they had met in the old Shinra mansion some days ago and recalled how Mika had looked in his arms: _wrong_. It angered him back then, and it still did.

"...Should we accept their help? While in disguise?" Mika wondered. Sephiroth turned his head to watch her through narrowed, fierce jade eyes.

"Do we _need_ their help?" he asked, colder than he had intended to. The mere thought of cooperating with Cloud and the rest of Avalanche was out of the question. Especially after their attempts to kill him. They had done it to save the Planet and its inhabitants from him and his actions, yes, but his intentions had never been to completely _destroy_ the Planet. After all, he would die if the Planet were to be ruined. He had used the Meteor spell well aware of the fact that the Lifestream would prevent it from striking. Sephiroth's plan had been to absorb much of that energy and knowledge, but let just enough pass to keep the Meteor from killing all life.

He was not foolish enough to wish to absorb _all_ the energy. That would kill the entire Planet and thus he would eventually die himself. Jenova had travelled through the universe, which had been another one of Sephiroth's ambitions. However, once Jenova succumbed to his control, that wish faded, along with the urge to simply _destroy_. If he destroyed something now, he did it while being well aware of the consequences. And he could not deny that Mika was partly responsible for that. So how could she even _suggest_ cooperating with those who had attempted to track him down and kill him?

Sephiroth's thoughts were interrupted as he realized Mika looked at him with a faint hint of terror in her eyes. She looked genuinely frightened.

"...Sephiroth? Did you hear me? I said _no_. I don't think we need their help... It was just an idea that popped into my head. An option that can be ignored..." she said, her creased eyebrows expressing worry. Sephiroth watched her, alarmed, as she looked at him with those fearful eyes of hers. Though she was still talking, he ignored her words. Then he moved a hand to let his index finger rest on her lips to stop her from speaking. It worked – she froze. Confusion took the place of fear and Sephiroth watched her in a manner he hoped was less frightening than how he had looked seconds before.

"I heard you. I did not intend to frighten you," he said, barely audible over the sound of he engines. Then his index finger left her lips and lingered in front of them for some long seconds before he lowered his hand. His indirect apology seemed to work; Mika gave him a faint, calm smile, though she still looked worried, and then she averted her gaze.

The airship finally rose into the air and swayed slightly before Cid made it go forward. In order to avoid falling, Mika hurried to sit on the bed. Sephiroth on the other hand, stayed put on the floor. This was a rare opportunity. How often did one get to train balance aboard an airship? Its movements were steady, yet completely unpredictable. It could suddenly turn around and make standing passengers fall. Sephiroth planted his feet on the floor and concentrated on standing still, moving as little as possible. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had trained like this. He did not need it, but even so, the training could not do any damage.

After a while of standing put, Mika joined him. She did great in the beginning, as the airship's moves were quite steady, but once it made a sudden turn, her feet moved away from her designated spot so she would not fall. The whole point was not to move their feet, but it still kept happening, and eventually it made Sephiroth concentrate on Mika's feet instead of his own. Thus, when the airship made a highly unpredicted dive, he had to move his feet as well.

"HA! You moved out of your tracks!" Mika exclaimed, grinning. He could not see why she was so so pleased; _she_ had stumbled halfway across the room before regaining her balance.

"Your balance is so poor it makes me lose my concentration," he commented honestly and earned a shocked look from Mika.

"Really? I don't see how _standing on the floor_ can be called training. Can't you do something else?" she challenged, crossing her arms. The airship stopped for a while, engines still running, and Sephiroth heard the sound of a door being slammed. Then the sound of steps was heard as that ninja girl and the big cat entered the ship. Yuffie and Red XIII. Then the airship rose into the air again and went ahead, this time in a somewhat straight line. Midgar was most likely next.

"So? Can you show me something Sephiroth-like?" she challenged again, still offended by his comment. At this, he let himself fall forward and used his hands as support as they landed on the floor. Then he started doing push-ups. It was so easy it seemed pathetic to do it at all, so he put one hand on his back and continued doing press-ups with one arm. This made Mika fall silent, and Sephiroth smirked. For him, it was still easy. In the corner of an eye he saw her walk closer to him and stop right next to him.

"Wow... I can't do that at all. I can only do around ten normal ones... Haha..." she mumbled, embarrassed. At this, Sephiroth tilted his head up just enough for her to see his smirk. Upon seeing it, she frowned deeply.

"Oh yeah? You're the mighty _Sappy_roth. Is _that_ all you can do?" she challenged, once again offended, then sat down on his lowering and rising back, with both her legs on his right side. That did not bother him much. What _did _bother him, however, was the new name she had dubbed him with. He _had_ to come up with a good counter-name for her. Or at least a good counter-comment. Her weight slowed him down slightly, but that was all.

After a while of doing push-ups, with her on his back, she eventually got uncomfortable. Her back probably hurt from sitting like that, so she got up and moved to the other side and sat down again as if he were a chair. Just to bother her, he sped up a little. After yet another while of sitting askew on his back, she got tired. Sephiroth glanced in the direction of the bed, believing she would lay down there in defeat. She did not. Instead, refusing to admit her absolute defeat, she moved one foot on each side of him and sat down on his back for the third time. Having changed from a chair to a chocobo, Sephiroth did not know whether to be pleased or not. But he was more than aware that the position they were in was rather intimate.

"Your fault," Mika said, as if having read his thoughts. He found he could interpret those words in more than one way, but said nothing. If he offended her again, he had no idea what she would come up with. Not that he couldn't handle it, he was sure he could, but she was a person perfectly capable of surprising others.

Every time he lowered to the floor, her knees touched his arms slightly (he now did push-ups with both arms) and her weight decreased as she supported herself with her feet. And when he rose again, her weight on his back seemed to increase again. These consecutive changes of weight eventually took hold of his concentration. He clenched his teeth and stared at the floor below him to regain his focus. Down to the floor, up, down to the floor again...

Focusing so much on the workout, Sephiroth could not tell how much time passed before his arms started to tire. This obviously meant he had been at it for quite a while. He glanced back, but only got a glimpse of Mika's leg as she got off his back.

He stopped doing push-ups in mid air and moved to sit on the floor, with one arm resting on a knee. Mika was now positioned on the bed, looking away from him with a displeased pout and crossed arms.

"That wasn't nice. I feel _really _inferior now," she mumbled, but was unable to hide the small smile that tugged at her mouth.  
"But I'm impressed you could bear my weight for that long," she added as a little smirk slowly developed on her face.

"...And I am impressed you dared to position yourself on my back at all," Sephiroth replied in a low voice and her head dropped. If he could have seen her face, it would not surprise him if she was blushing. He smiled smugly. When she said nothing, he rose to his feet and walked into the faintly lit bathroom. He closed the door to take a shower, doubting that the members of Avalanche would hear, as the engines were quite loud.

After a short, yet effective shower, he exited the bathroom and walked into the bedroom and once again got used to the darkness there.

* * *

Mika stared from her designated spot on the bed as Sephiroth emerged into the bedroom in which she had previously tried to fight off her boredom. He wore his black pants and belted boots, yes, but his upper body was _bare_. While he got used to the darkness, Mika forced her eyes away in annoyance. He did it on _purpose_. Intently. She _knew_ he did. On purpose, indeed. Once he was used to the dark shadows, his jade gaze moved over to her. Mika didn't look him in the eyes, but was quite certain he was determined to watch her until she looked back at him.

And taking into consideration his ultra-nice, smooth, silky skin and perfectly toned abdomen-, arm-, shoulder- and chest muscles, staring at him was _out of the question. _It was a strict no-no. He already looked good _with_ his clothes on. Mika frowned as her head turned back to him, and she fixed her eyes on his burning orbs, determined not to lower her gaze. To her great chagrin, though, she could still see his exposed upper body in the corner of an eye. His fine skin was still damp from the shower he had taken and reflected the faint light from the bathroom behind him. Luckily for her, the shadows made it slightly hard for her to see too well. Thus she was able to keep her face serious. And though her cheeks held a very faint red color, she managed to stay calm.

Glowing, his eyes searched her features for amusing expressions. Not once did he blink, and nor did she. As it got harder for her to stay calm, she slowly, yet swiftly, moved off the bed and rose to her feet. After standing there for a couple of long seconds, she walked forward and brushed past Sephiroth and continued into the bathroom. When she turned around, Sephiroth was still standing there, with his back to her, and looking at her over his shoulder. To her grand irritation, his back was lit by the light from the bathroom. Every curve and shadow seemed to complement each other to the degree of ultimate perfection deluxe.

Mika moved her eyes up just in time to see him send her a smirk over his shoulder and then she frowned deeply and shut the door before he could see her maroon blush. She vaguely considered using some sort of make-up to hide it, but she didn't have any. Even if she had, it wouldn't last. Besides, he would notice. It would just be bothersome. In the end she ended up just taking a shower and exited the room in a nonchalant manner - insistent on pretending everything was as it should be. She wore her black pants, but her feet were bare as she had left her knee-high booth in the bathroom. Her long gray tank-top hugged her form as she tried getting used to the dark room.

This time, she was mentally prepared.

What she realized first was that Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen, at least not in front of her. She spun around, expecting to see Sephiroth right behind her. He wasn't. But it still didn't surprise her when she felt a breath brush her right shoulder. Well aware that the first thing she would see upon turning around would be his annoyingly dashing super chest, she chose not to move at all.

"...Hello," she heard Sephiroth say in a silent, almost hoarse voice. At this, her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder. The look on his face confused her. His eyes were slightly narrowed, but a faint smirk caressed his features. It was different from the smirk he had given her earlier in a way and was barely visible at all. She searched his eyes, aware that she would most likely not find anything out of the ordinary there. Only his burning jade eyes, those glowing orbs that looked different every time she watched them.

She flinched slightly as she felt his arms slowly close around her arms and waist, locking her there. Painfully aware that her back now rested against his gorgeous – _n__o, not gorgeous. Bad. Ugly. Yes._ – chest, her feet shifted and she looked forward, troubled. As she did, he bent down and let his cheek brush her own. Then he lowered even more and Mika felt his lips touch her neck. Upon feeling that, she stiffened and was certain that even Cid and the others board could hear the hammering of her heart. His gentle grip around her tightened and she felt herself trembling. As her knees started giving away, his hold around her once again tensed.

If he did all of this just to see her display an amusing expression, she would _kill_ him. Or at least try. To get an early revenge, Mika stretched her arm back and touched his still exposed skin. He quickly stepped back, but didn't let go, and she was pulled along as the back of his knees hit the bed and they fell. As they landed, his grip loosened and disappeared for a brief moment. Aware that they were becoming more than just a little intimate, and also that her tickling attack had had an effect, she rolled away from him and fell off the bed and down to the floor.

Once she jerked up and turned to Sephiroth, he was still on his back on the bed, his head in his hands in a nonchalant manner. He looked as if nothing had happened, and his eyes were closed in a casual way.

Mika observed him and moved onto the bed herself, though as far away from him as possible. Then she pulled the blanket over herself slowly and curled into something akin to a ball before trying to sleep. Stiff as a stick as she felt, she wasn't surprised when she had difficulties doing so. Sephiroth didn't move an inch and seemed to be more relaxed than ever. Therefore, she was happy when the airship began to drop again. It lowered for a while before it stopped and then the engines were turned off. Were they in Midgar? Sephiroth looked completely unaffected. Several voices were heard as someone entered the ship.

"Man, what took 'em so long? Imma pay it to dat man once! Time's sumthin' precious an' ya ain't gonna get it back no matter what ya pay. Marlene's already waitin'!" a low, rough voice exclaimed as loud steps passed the door, belonging to someone she guessed was the most muscular member of Avalanche.

"Barret, it's not Cid's fault. Judging from what he told me, this ship isn't in order. It's getting old," a mechanical, yet cat-like voice said.  
"Cait Sith is right. Besides, we won't be able to fly during the night anyway. We'll probably sleep aboard the ship and then leave first thing in the morning. Right?" a female asked.

"That's right, Tifa. You all here now? If you are, then just go to yer rooms. You heard her. We'll leave in the mornin'," someone said loudly and Mika recognized him as Cid. After he was done talking, some annoyed grunts and comments were heard, but they did as he told them to. Mika heard many of the doors open and close and hoped no one would try opening the door to the room they were in.

As silence took the place of tired voices, Mika relaxed. One last pair of steps were heard from outside, but the person walked in another direction. She gave a quiet sigh and closed her eyes. Sephiroth still hadn't moved - it wouldn't surprise her if he was actually asleep. Thinking of what to do tomorrow, and also thinking a little of Sephiroth, tiredness overcame her. The anxious feeling she had disappeared as drowziness gradually took hold of her. After a while, she was asleep.

* * *

Sephiroth pondered the small event earlier. He had control, yet hadn't. Jenova had not controlled him back there, he was sure of that. Even though his actions had not felt wrong, he was partially relieved when Mika rolled out of his reach. What could have happened if she had not? None of the Avalanche members had tried to enter their room, but just in case they would try later, he already had a plan. Surprisingly enough, it did not contain killing whoever entered. However, his idea _did _contain a hostage. If that would not work, he would fight his way out, not taking into consideration any casualties.

This was a plan that required him to stay awake and guard the room. Sephiroth listened to the only sound nearby; the sound of Mika breathing. Her breath eventually slowed down, telling him she was asleep. He opened his eyes and concentrated on the ceiling. The faint light coming from the bathroom barely lit the small room, which made the ceiling look like a vague expanse of nothing in particular.

It eventually became so interesting that he could have sworn he saw pictures up there, but he knew there was nothing. His thoughts just wandered, and they left and came as minutes passed. When it occurred to him that he was about to fall asleep he tried to stop his train of thought in order to stay awake.

He failed.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Poor thing. He fell asleep.  
And Mika... She likes him. She just can't seem to admit it... (-gasp!- I can has be evil again)


	20. Bone Village

Disclaimer: I hereby declare my ownership of Mika. But I still don't own Final Fantasy.  
This chapter is kind of "thoughty" and "describy". The other chapters will make up for that...

* * *

**Bone Village - Vigilance**

* * *

Mika woke up the next morning upon hearing the airship engines start. The loud sound gave her a weary feeling of Monday morning and she pulled the large blanket over her head. It didn't help much, but at least it muffled the sound somewhat. Then she remembered the small event that happened yesterday and frowned a little. She didn't know what Sephiroth wanted. Was he testing her, bothering her on purpose? Mika moved her hand slowly and was about to remove the thick blanket, but hesitated. Was he really just testing her? Her frown deepened and while she gave it some thought the air under the blanket became warmer. Should she test whether or not he was just playing around, to see if he thought of her as some toy?

The pace of her breath increased steadily as the oxygen under the blanket got warmer. She still managed to stay quiet, though, and wondered when she should remove the blanket. Her decision was made for her as the object was taken off her by a seemingly careless Sephiroth. Mika blinked a couple of times upon seeing him hold the blanket above her. Then she tried scanning his eyes for an answer to her unspoken question. His jade orbs were as clear and burning as ever, not betraying anything.

"You should not try suffocating yourself. It will ruin your lungs," he remarked, and she flashed him a tiny lopsided smile before turning away. On the edge of the bed was the bag with food from Rocket Town. It was open, which was obviously the doing of Sephiroth. She grabbed it and looked inside.

Empty.

After throwing the empty bag away, Mika put her coat on. It was black, like Sephiroth's, but not as long as his. Hers went down to her knees, while his was a little longer. At least her sleeves were longer than his, and looser. Her boots were shorter than his as well, but still reached to her knees. As she watched her clothes in the mirror, she suddenly realized they probably looked quite dull. Her gray tank top was the only garment that wasn't black. Mika glanced in Sephiroth's direction and as she expected, he also wore black clothes. His metallic shoulder pauldrons shone in the faint light. As did his long sword, which he held in his left hand. She picked up the Mako blade and walked closer to him.

Then the sound of the airship engines faded somewhat and became uneven, and they could both feel the ship lowering. Even from the room they were in, they could hear Cid cursing and swearing loudly. Mika looked at the door. They weren't close to the town of Icicle Inn yet, they still had a long way to go, hadn't they? They hadn't been in the air for very long, so why did they lower the airship? Then she remembered some of what she had heard yesterday.

"_Barret, it's not Cid's fault. Judging from what he told me, this ship isn't in order. It's getting old,_" _a mechanical, yet cat-like voice said._

Were there any problems with the ship?

Her suspicions were confirmed as the ship took a sudden dive. Then the engines seemed to 'cough' before giving one final effort not to crash. The airship nearly stopped in mid-air, but then landed on the ground in a quite rough way. This made Mika hold on to the door handle, which she believed was safe. Luckily it was and she avoided falling. Sephiroth managed to stay on his feet as well.

After some long seconds the group of Avalanche members aboard ran towards the exit. That is, a few were running and the rest walked. Mika heard them mutter incoherent words, but couldn't hear what they said. One by one left the airship, leaving her and Sephiroth behind at the same time. Not that it mattered; Sephiroth would probably just break the door to get out. But first they had to wait for Avalanche to leave, or else they would definitely be spotted.

However, after they had passed, one lone pair of steps approached slowly. Then they stopped. The door handle turned as someone tried to get in, but the door was already locked. Sephiroth wasn't surprised, but Mika stiffened, watching the door intently.

* * *

Sephiroth observed the door while trying to find out who were on the other side. His calm feeling faded only slightly as he heard the sound of a key being turned. Next to him, Mika glanced to the bathroom. Hiding in there would do no good; They would be found regardless. Then he saw her turn to the bed. Hiding under it was not possible because it was too low. Despite that, they had several advantages already.

Their eyes were used to the dark, and they were two. The single person outside would not even see them in the beginning.

The door handle moved and the door opened slowly on its own. Sephiroth recognized the man immediately: Vincent Valentine. The outlines of his tattered red cloak gave him an eerie look when combined with his seemingly glowing eyes. Though it was dark in the room, the red-eyed man stared right into his own jade orbs. Sephiroth did not flinch, but his grip on Masamune strengthened and he pointed the sword at the man. Vincent did not move an inch.

"...I do not intend to harm you, nor to be harmed myself," Vincent said in a low voice. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he moved his long thin sword to Vincent's throat. At this, he tilted his head back a little, but his red eyes did not move from Sephiroth's jade ones.  
"I merely thought I would offer you some information," Vincent added, but the sword remained where it was.

"I am sure you have already noticed the airship is out of order. Cid has called someone to come here and repair it, but it will take some time for them to get here. Days, to be accurate. If you do not wish to get spotted stealing food from us while waiting, I strongly recommend you leave by foot," Vincent said in a silent voice, yet speaking fast. Sephiroth tilted his head back a little.

"What could you possibly gain by letting us go?" he demanded and upon hearing him, Vincent glanced at the sword at his throat.

"...Did I not tell you in Nibelheim?" Vincent asked in a voice lighter than before, then he stepped back slowly. Sephiroth did not follow, nor did he stretch his arm out to reach Vincent with his sword. Vincent gave a small nod and moved away. Sephiroth was left behind with only his words. _Nibelheim?_ He vaguely remembered Vincent saying something about repenting.

To _repent._

Sephiroth shook his head and walked through the door. Mika followed him and walked past him, then walked down the hall to the exit, where she stopped and glanced outside. There were obviously no one there, because she walked outside after checking. He followed her, all senses alert in case some of the Avalanche members would show up. What he heard made him relax somewhat; they were on the other side of the ship, probably helping Cid out with whatever he needed over there (he could hear the little ninja woman shouting and Cid cursing).

In other words, they were out of sight. Sephiroth averted his eyes from the temporarily broken airship and watched Mika, who walked in front of him. Come to think of it, she had not uttered a single word since the day before. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he tried to think why she was so quiet. Did it have anything to do with what happened last night?

He eyed her again. Mika did not look particularly uncomfortable around him. Instead, she looked like she was thinking. She glanced over her shoulder and flashed him an uncertain smile and then looked ahead again. After that, the two of them walked in silence for a long time, heading north. Now that they would not be taken to Icicle Inn by the airship, they would have to go the long way. They could walk through the Sleeping Forest and the Forgotten Capital, then continue straight north. Then they would arrive in the Northern Crater. The final reactor would be waiting. But what would happen after that?

Sephiroth's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Mika had stopped in front of him. She watched the large, snowy mountains in front of them and then lowered her eyes to the abnormally tall trees of the Sleeping Forest. She shook her head and sighed, as if bothered by the fact that the two of them were heading in _there._ Then she started walking again, heading into the small town in front of them. He followed, scanning the small town and its inhabitants.

The people there barely looked up in acknowledgement when the two came closer. They did not even seem to recognize him. That was good, but it still made him wonder. Come to think of it, even if they knew of a person named Sephiroth, they did not know it was _him._ They had seen him before, even, without knowing it was him. But that was a long time ago. He watched as Mika bought some food from the villagers and asked for directions.

That was when their words caught his attention.

"Ye can only reech Icicle Inn by crossing de mountains. Used to be possible to go north from de Forgotten Capital, but dat passage is stuffed widh Shinra guards now. So, only way to go to avoid dem is to cross de mountain," the short man said. Mika did not even try to hide her disappointment. Sephiroth sighed. Something like this was to be expected.

Now their journey would be expanded by days, and he could _not _use his levitation ability if people were guarding the Mako reactor. Binoculars should never have been invented. The humans must have found that invention by accident. The little man dressed in green glanced in his direction and nodded in greeting. He did obviously not recognize Sephiroth. That was only good, and Sephiroth gave a small nod in return. But after doing so, he frowned. Why did he greet the man? He did not have to _nod._

"We think it will rain tonight. Ye can stay here for low price! Ye can even get an own tent as well!" the small man suggested, his tiny moustache moving. From what Sephiroth could hear from the other people here, this man was the only one who spoke in such an odd way. However, he also seemed to be the only one who sold items and had an 'Inn' at disposal.

The small man found a tent for them and they entered it just before it started raining. Though the tent was large, he and Mika were left alone. Even after eating, it would still be a long time before night arrived, so Mika settled with her coat in her lap and emptied her pockets. Sephiroth watched in amusement as he saw all the items that the coat held.

Electric devices, a pocket knife, smoke bombs, materia he had never seen her use, and a small spray box which he remembered seeing her use against the Midgar Zolom. And then her gun and its ammunition. She also had various status healing items, but no items for healing wounds. Except for her new Restore materia, that is. Mika brought out some leather gloves with no fingers and frowned as she watched them. When he looked closer, the glove-fingers seemed to be cut of with scissors, because they all looked quite ragged. She apparently had some other clothes, but kept them out of view. He was not foolish enough to ask what _those_ were, of course.

After putting everything back in the suspiciously roomy pockets of her coat, Mika lay down on her back and rested her head in her hands. She did not say anything else to him and only glanced at him occasionally.

That bothered him.

A part of him wished to ask what was on her mind, but he did not. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. At least he thought she would. Deciding to move his attention elsewhere, he turned away from her and watched the insides of the tent absently. He was still sitting and was not planning to lie down, because he was _not _going to fall asleep one more time. Definitely. With a determined frown on his face, he started thinking. She had told him that some time ago: Concentrating one's mind by thinking made it harder to sleep at times. That was true, he knew that from experience. The subject of which he thought was Jenova. At least it kept him awake.

Jenova was not really a cheerful subject to think about, but it was the only thing he could concentrate on at the moment. Though Jenova had controlled him in the beginning, he had eventually turned against her and managed to control her completely. It was still like that. Sometimes she tried to take control of him again, but always failed. He had learned to consider consequences and knew how to go about things. Instead of only destroying first and asking later, he would now analyse first and then work out a suitable plan.

Which was not really a bad thing.

Frowning, Sephiroth sighed as his train of thought eventually took him to the final Mako reactor. What would he do once they got there? Summon Meteor? That would most certainly make a lot of the Lifestream gather at one spot, allowing him to gather an incredible mass of knowledge if he was in the middle of it. However, he would still let some of the Lifestream get past him and prevent the Meteor from damaging the Planet too much. But to even summon Meteor in the first place, he would need the Black Materia.

Mika's purposes for blowing up the reactors had been revealed for him as well. She wanted the Planet to have the Lifestream at its own disposal, but she also wished to give Shinra a kick in the behind for all the things they had done. They needed to wake up: there were plenty of other energy sources around. New inventions existed that were much cheaper and did not drain the energy of the Planet. Her latter reason was fine with Sephiroth, but the first one posed a problem for him. If Mika truly wanted the Planet alone to use the Lifestream, that would mean all the Mako reactors had to be destroyed. It also meant that Sephiroth should not use the Lifestream himself. At least not how he had planned to. There were many other ways to get knowledge from the Lifestream if he could not summon Meteor.

He vaguely recalled what Mika had told him back in Cosmo Canyon, about himself. She had claimed he was already the wisest on the Planet - and the strongest as well. Sephiroth frowned as an image of Cloud Strife appeared in his mind upon remembering her words. Even if he destroyed the final reactor and _did not_ summon Meteor, Cloud had still defeated him once before. How had that person even turned that strong in the first place? Cloud used to be a regular weakling. Then he met his new friends, the rest of Avalanche...

_Friends._

For a short moment, Sephiroth wanted to chuckle sarcastically at it all. He did not, though, as he had already gained his own companion during his newest journey.  
Mika could not only be categorized as a friend, though. She was more valuable than that.

* * *

Mika woke up the next day to find Sephiroth smirking. He did not look at her, but watched the opening of the tent with a satisfied look on his face, as though he had just settled something. In the beginning she didn't find his look too pleasant, but then she sat up and realized he didn't really look that frightening at all. His smirk seemed content, pleased, not mocking or bad in any way. This pleased her.

"Good... morning?" she tried, but it sounded more like a question. He turned to her slowly, his smirk not fading.  
"Good morning," he replied. Mika flashed him a smile upon seeing him so full of satisfaction. This only made his smirk widen.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked, unable to hold back a small grin.

"...That is for me to know and for you to find out," he commented quietly. Mika doubted she would get anything else out of him than what she had already found out, so the two of them ate in silence while enjoying the atmosphere. After eating, they went outside and said their farewells to the men there. That is, _Mika_ said goodbye and Sephiroth just looked around and gave an occasional nod if someone directed their goodbyes to him as well. After giving the small man from yesterday some money, they headed into the forest.

Though the rain had stopped, the trees were still wet. The branches somehow managed to drop huge drops of water on Mika every time she walked underneath one. Though Sephiroth didn't comment it, she could tell he enjoyed himself. If water threatened to fall on _him, _he just stepped aside, evading the annoying, cold substance. The people in Bone Village had expressed worry when she asked for directions through the forest, as it was rumored that no one ever got out of there after going in. She knew of exceptions, though, such as Cloud and his friends.

And Sephiroth, of course. He knew where to go.

"...You know the way, right?" she asked and let her shoulders slump in defeat as yet another huge drop of water fell from a branch and landed on her shoulder, as if she were a magnet to the freezing driblets. Sephiroth walked past her slowly and she followed, glad he wouldn't be able to watch any other drops hit her. After some time of just walking, she started learning how to evade the drops. It wasn't easy. It was as if the trees shook their branches just as they passed underneath. A living forest. Only it was asleep: the 'Sleeping Forest'. She vaguely wondered how it would have been if the forest suddenly awoke. The falling drops would probably be the least thing to worry about if that were to happen happen.

Mika averted her eyes to Sephiroth's back. Soon, her thoughts wandered back to what had happened in the airship and her mood worsened. She had yet to find out whether he was just playing around. How could she find out? How should she find out if _the _First Class ex-Soldier Sephiroth was just playing with her? He was strong and smart, so how could she possibly find the answer to her question without asking him directly? Mika frowned. He would be ready for anything, no matter how smart and complicated it was. A disguised question from her to him would be deciphered in a flash, for sure.

Then something occurred to her. He was ready for anything that was _complicated_. But what if she caught him off guard by getting straight to the point? It was a good idea, or at least so she thought. She had yet to find out what was simple enough to catch him off guard, though. Mika tried to come up with something that would surprise him. What were the things he didn't like, for example? He didn't like it when something delayed his plans, yes, but that was a stupid thing to do. He didn't like bad suggestions either, like cooperating with Cloud and the rest of Avalanche. She didn't want to suggest that again.

Something _simple._ Something simple enough to catch him off guard, yet smart enough to make him reveal whether he truly cared for her or just fooled around with her. Then she got an idea. Depending on how he reacted, the answer would be granted to her. She just hoped he wouldn't hurt her, in one way or the other. Mika stared at his back, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible.

He had better not waste her for it, because it would take all the resolution she had.

A _hug._

* * *

**R.R.**  
Naaw! (-massive fluff overkill in my brain-)


	21. The Forgotten Capital

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Final Fantasy.

(One day I read some reviews before going to school. I was really happy all day. People probably thought I was high on sugar or something. Heheh... High on reviews, imagine that...)  
_A small part of this chapter is seen from Jenova's point of view..._

* * *

**Forgotten Capital - Nerves**

* * *

The rain was coming to an end and the height of the trees kept amazing Mika. They towered above her and Sephiroth, telling them that they were getting deeper into the forest by the minute – and they had been walking for hours. The scenery was getting eerie as well; the trees were glowing, but otherwise they remained devoid of life. The things that weren't dark and sad were blue and shiny instead. Mika was losing confidence the deeper they walked into the quiet woods and was quickly reduced to a wreck of nerves. Sephiroth walked in front of her while she carefully tried to gather her courage. She already knew what to do, but she just couldn't seem to go through with it. It was quite simple, actually.

She would give him a hug. It was that easy.

But at the same time it was difficult, because he might not react the way she hoped he would. If he pulled away, or if he pushed her off him like she was a weak fiend with rabies, that would obviously mean he did not care about her. Even so, she still didn't know how he would act if he _did _like her. That remained to be seen. For the time being, she shuffled her feet along, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as time passed. It didn't feel like they had been walking for hours, but _days. _Her shoulders were hunched and she used one hand to stroke her other hand in a fashion that made her look like she was cold. She was just nervous. And she did _not _like it. That, and she was cold.

"Say... You know where we are?" Mika asked, her voice weary from her increasing nervousness. He stopped so abruptly that she nearly crashed into his back, but moved aside in a swift movement that resembled something akin to badly executed ballet. When she stopped she was next to him, facing him as he looked at her.

"We are in the Sleeping Forest. People usually never come out ever again after entering it," he informed, which only added to her uneasiness even though she was already aware of that fact. She knitted her eyebrows and dropped her head slightly.

"...But I know how to navigate here. Thanks to that, we will soon be in the Forgotten Capital, which was once the home of the Ancients," Sephiroth said in a distant, dark voice. Mika vaguely recalled hearing stories about the Forgotten Capital. Mostly ghost and horror stories about fiends, zombies and vampires. She just looked at him with a slight pout on her face. In return, he watched her with what looked like skepticism. That didn't help much either.

* * *

Sephiroth observed the pale Mika in front of him with interest. When had she turned that unhappy? She sighed loudly and looked ahead. Leaving the subject for now, he started walking again. However, he _would_ ask her what was the matter if her mood did not lighten.

They continued their seemingly endless walk for quite a while before they finally exited the Sleeping Forest. The distance between each of the tall trees suddenly lessened and the forest came to an end, revealing several paths going in different directions. Huge conch shells and white houses made out of stone were placed here and there, making the place look like a small town. Only no one lived there. There were still fiends, however, so he tightened his grip around Masamune before continuing. Mika didn't bother with the Mako sword attached to the back of her coat, she just found her gun instead. He wondered if she could take on a fiend herself at all.

On cue, some monsters approached them from above. Three black bomb-like fiends, all covered in flames, lined up in front of them. Sephiroth glanced over to Mika, who looked more uneasy than ever. She moved her arm up and aimed with her gun while glancing at the two other fiends. Then she shot the first, the second, and finally the third fiend – all shots fired with an exceptionally good aim. Upon being shot, they all disappeared puffs of smoke and pyreflies, leaving behind only a burnt smell. Mika, not too taken aback by her own feat, put her gun back in her jacket and started brooding again, hugging herself as if cold. At that, Sephiroth arched a brow while eyeing her. She remained oblivious, deep in thought, staring in front of her.

Had she always been that skilled with that gun? He remembered what happened after their visit in Wutai, when she shot Rufus, and allowed himself to smirk. The incident in the Ancient Forest, when she turned into a frog, was probably a combination of bad luck and irony. He had underestimated her. But he was still stronger than her, that was for sure. Even so, he found himself wonder just _how strong_ she was. Perhaps he could test her? He glanced on her right hand – the one she had held the gun with – only to see that she was shaking slightly.

Mika suddenly shut her eyes and sneezed, then shook her head a little afterwards. Moving on, she sniffled some and walked in the direction of the closest stone building. Behind her, Sephiroth followed, curious. He followed her into the small stone house and watched her turn to him.

"Can we stay here?" she asked. They had been walking all day, and it was only reasonable that they got some rest in case they were to meet anyone from Shinra. And besides, he was hungry. So he gave her an affirmative nod and turned around to watch the room.

It was dark, with a few traces of Mako here and there. There were small cracks and holes in the walls at places, and the door and the single window left room for a chilly wind to pass through the room. There were some stone chairs with small, thin pillows on top, as well as a stone table with a patterned cloth on it, left here as though the owners had left for only some minutes. But the owners would not return; they were long gone. Sephiroth moved his eyes to the two beds that were also in the room. They were placed on each side of the chairs and the table. One was large, the other of normal size.

Sephiroth's concentration was brushed away as something wrapped around him.

His muscles tensed and for a short moment he thought of using a magic spell or his sword. However, seeing as he had yet to be _damaged_ at all, his mind occupied itself by trying to find out what it was. After a very short second of thinking, he looked down to see two arms. Mika's arms. Come to think of it, he also felt her rest against his back. What was the meaning of this? He had no idea how to react, he only knew how he _did not _want to react. What now? He could _not _throw her off or remove her by force. Other than that, he felt clueless and that bothered him to no end. Masamune, resting in his hand, was shivering, and he loosened his grip around it.

Then he moved his head around very slowly, only to find that he could not see her over his shoulder. Her face was buried in the back of his coat, and her grip tightened by the second. He found it incredibly annoying that he could not come up with anything to do. What was the purpose of all his past experiences if they could not help him solve a situation that did not even include any enemies? Finding he had been standing there for quite a while already, he tried to find out how _she _was doing.

He could feel her pulse. It was faster than normal. He could understand that; after all, she was hugging _him. _Sephiroth, the worst antagonist alive on Gaia, which was a planet relying on all the Mako which _he_ had planned to drain knowledge from. Sephiroth, ex-Soldier, 1st Class, presumably the strongest on the Planet. Cloud had beaten him, yes, but that was only because his friends had helped him first. In a one-on-one battle, in which none of them would be in a weakened state, Sephiroth would surely have won.

But Mika did not breathe. She had not pulled a single breath since she embraced him.

This made him snap out of his thoughts and he let go of his sword, which fell to the ground. Then, before she could do a thing, he freed himself from her grip and turned to her and cupped her face with one hand and held her shoulder with the other. He eyed her, searching her eyes to find out what was wrong. She pulled her breath and looked right at him with worried eyes. Though her eyes were unfocused, she did not look away. Her eyebrows were knitted and a light red color tainted her cheeks in a different way than it usually did. He watched her, scrutinizing her face without any particular expression on his face. Without him noticing it, her hands had taken hold of the front of his coat.

She sniffled slightly, which made him frown. Did she have a cold? She had done that a couple of times while they were walking as well. Perhaps it was caused by all that water falling from the trees. His thoughts raced. If she had a cold, had the cold made her light headed enough to make her embrace him? Why else would she embrace him?

His memory of her saying she _liked_ him, some time before they got on that airship, returned to him, strong and vivid in his mind. Sephiroth blinked.  
Did she, by any chance, embrace him because she liked him? As in something more than just _like_?

Sephiroth found he should at least harden his stare a little (he was not supposed to be a _compassionate_ person), but he did not. He just watched her, searching. The cold wind made Mika's hair flow gently, leaving some locks in front of her face. He let go of her shoulder and moved her locks aside, then put his hand on her forehead. Though his hand was gloved, he could feel the warmth thanks to his enhanced senses. She did not have a fever, but she was still warm. Sephiroth frowned and suddenly pulled his hand back. If there was one thing a person such as himself _should not do_, it had to be _caring_ and other sappy things including ill people and health checks.

Even so, his other hand was still cupping her chin. He stared at it, not knowing entirely what to do about it. Perhaps he should remove it. His burning gaze moved slowly from his own hand and up, but stopped at her lips. Then he frowned, narrowing his eyes. After shutting his eyes for some seconds, he opened them to see her giving him a faint smile. Her hands slid off his coat and at the same time, he pulled back his hand.

Mika shuffled over to the smallest of the two beds. Why she avoided picking the largest one was beyond him – perhaps it was of the same reason she hugged him – but he did not mind that too much. That way, there would just be more room for him. After Mika removed her coat, she slumped onto her bed. She pulled the old, intricately patterned quilt around herself, making sure there were no holes for the wind to come in. He could just barely see her eyes after she was done wrapping herself.

"Goodnight, Sephiroth," he heard her mumble from the shadows, her voice muffled. The front of his coat still felt cold as a result of her absent hands. He watched Mika quietly without saying anything at first. She cared about him. That, he was sure of. Sephiroth himself was fond of her, but he was not yet sure how much. She was talented, though, being able to make him calm down. That took skills.

But did he like her more than he should?

"...Good night, Mika," he replied silently, getting a warm feeling upon seeing her eyes moving in a fashion that suggested she was smiling. He knew very well that he was lost.  
And he did nothing to stop it.

At least Jenova did not fight against him on this subject any more. She had become strangely quiet.

* * *

Jenova let her thoughts turn over, ravel and flow at a controllable pace as she carefully scanned and reviewed them.  
Every wrong turn and special aberration was ridden of as she built herself a mental image of the state Sephiroth was in.

She hated the way things were right now.

Her control had been taken from her and he had no troubles stopping her when she tried controlling him.  
More than once she had tried to do something about the girl by the name "Mika".  
She was an obstacle that Jenova intended to get rid of.

In the countless troubles which that girl caused, Jenova had eyed an opportunity.

From what she had gathered, Sephiroth could only resist Jenova's will if Jenova wanted something he _did not _want.  
For example, she had tried to make him kill this Mika person, but he resisted her will because he did not wish to kill her.  
However, if Jenova turned things around in a careful manner, she could earn a great deal from it.

Sephiroth was her only successful heir, but he had turned against her control and taken it from her.  
But she still had a chance.

Jenova was a being that wanted destruction, that was her nature.  
As Sephiroth no longer wanted to destroy, but also desired other things, he was not of as much use as he had been before.  
For the first time in the history of her own species, Jenova had come up with a plan that would take more time than just a flicker of a finger and an explosion.

Seeing as Sephiroth was no longer loyal to her, how about trying to get her hands on a new subject?  
Or at the very least control her long enough to erase her?  
Mika was an obstacle, a hindrance that she needed to get rid of.

The nuisance already had the cells of Jenova, which made Jenova's plan more likely to succeed.

* * *

Sephiroth had not slept all night. Not that it mattered. He could think of a plan that way, a plan including the doom of the final reactor. He had yet to find out what to do afterwards, though. If he wanted to summon Meteor again, he would need the Black Materia. He just hoped it was still where he had left it. Sephiroth found it difficult to think at all. It was as though Jenova was plotting something that made his mind wince at times, and he found himself unable to find out what. He was not going to fall asleep, just in case Jenova would try something. He would not let her wreak havoc - at least not with Mika nearby. If Jenova tried to kill Mika, he would stop her.

Absently he turned to Mika, who had also been awake for a short while. To his great regret, he had forgotten all about eating the night before. He blamed it on that embrace Mika had given him. Right now, he felt rather weakened. Not much, but just enough for him to feel it. Mika sat upright in her bed with her quilt around her safely, not wanting the cold wind in the old house to worsen her cold, which had grown stronger overnight. Finding that his hunger was not exactly growing weaker, he got up from his own bed and walked over to her.

Just as he was about to bend down and take her coat from the floor in order to find the food he knew was in one of the pockets, he came to a halt. A strange sensation flowed through him, making him blink several times and turn his head away. Then he looked up at Mika, who gazed at him tiredly.

"Are you hungry?" she asked in a soft and quiet voice, slightly different from usual because of her cold.

And he looked at her as if he had never seen her before.

Jenova was plotting something, he was sure of it.

"...Sorry I forgot to give you food yesterday. I didn't eat anything either. At least we've saved some more for today, then," she added, not noticing his increasingly glowing eyes. His orbs were burning. Right about now, he was certain his pupils were only slits. If he did not know better, he would have thought Jenova encouraged him to close in on Mika. But Jenova had wanted to kill her, so that could not be the case.

Could it?

He forced himself out of his reverie and grabbed her coat from the floor. Not knowing which pocket to search, he handed it to Mika. As he did, her hand touched his unclothed one and upon touch, he jerked around and moved back to his own bed. Mika looked at him in wonder, but then averted her eyes to her coat and found the food she had bought in Bone Village. She threw two wrapped food items in his direction and he grabbed both with one hand. Mika's eyes started blinking and narrowed, then she shut her eyes and coughed loudly. Afterwards she snuffled again.

"Oops... I'm sorry," she said groggily and opened her own wrapped food. Sephiroth watched her warily while unwrapping his own two sandwiches. She ate slowly, clearly not wanting to eat at all as a result of her small illness. From what he could tell from where he sat, she had yet to get a fever, which was good. The two of them ate in silence and Sephiroth noticed that the sandwiches were not at all as good as the ones Mika made. This did not come as a surprise, thought, as they were probably made by the men in Bone Village, who were most likely not the best chefs on the Planet.

"I don't have any water left. I think I'll go get some outside," she said and threw the quilt away. Her bare arms were exposed for a short moment before she got her coat on, as she still wore her other clothes, but the image of her soft skin still etched their way into his mind, making him narrow his eyes. He just sat there for some long moments after she left the small stone house, until he tried to regain his composure. This was getting annoying. It was as if he had been watching her through a filter all morning – through the eyes of somebody else. Through the eyes of Jenova.

Five minutes passed, and she was not yet back.

...She did not return after ten minutes either.

After fifteen minutes, he decided to go search for her, as he would need to get some water for himself as well. He grabbed his coat and gloves from the table and put them on, and after watching his Masamune sword for some long seconds, he decided to bring that along as well. The mako sword was the only thing left behind.

* * *

Mika had already filled her empty water bottle when she heard a sound of someone approaching. She was a little out of it due to her increasingly strong cold, but still had the brains to put her bottle into her coat and switch it with her gun. With her weapon in hand, she remained still right next to the small river she had found after quite a while of searching. There were trees and bushes surrounding her and the only things she could actually see were the sleeping or dead plants, as well as some small rocks and a few larger boulders and conches. She tried standing in a fighting position, but it was hard for her when she didn't know where the sounds came from.

It could be Sephiroth. Thinking this, she lowered her guard and her gun to let it hang down next to her. Then a loud sound of more than one set of steps came from behind her and she turned around to see a group of people dressed in Shinra uniforms. Her eyes widened and she stepped back, instantly pointing her gun at them.

"I would lower my gun if I were you," a chilly voice warned from behind her, and she jerked around with her gun pointing in front of her. But there weren't anyone there.

"...Here," the voice said again, behind her again, and then one arm was wrapped tightly around her waist and arms and his other arm rested a gun to her throat. Mika, infuriated by this sudden event, was about to turn her gun to the man again. But she came to an abrupt halt as something silver flashed next to her. A long, thin sword hovered above her shoulder, at the throat of the man who grasped her. The glowing green eyes of the person who held the large sword shone brightly as they moved from person to person in front of him.

"Who-" said the Shinra man who held his arms around her.

"I am Sephiroth. Does that pose a problem?" Sephiroth asked in a cold and dark, yet utterly controlled voice, without humor. His face held no particular expression, remaining devoid of emotion, but even so, they could all tell one thing.

He was furious.

* * *

**R.R.**  
Ta-daa..!  
Sephiroth revealed himself to Shinra! (again...)  
They know for sure that he's alive now! (again...)  
Reviews will be used to feed my yellow-nosed reindeer.


	22. Icicle Inn

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters.

I can has review.

* * *

**Icicle Inn - Levitation**

* * *

Sephiroth was currently standing in front of the Shinra guard who was holding Mika – whose eyes glanced between Sephiroth's sword and his face. The eyes of all the guards were all fixed on him as well, which was not at all surprising. Their red and black uniforms told him these were not the ordinary bunch of part-time workers he usually met. A vague memory of how easy it had been to slaughter the guards so long ago entered his mind, and for a second he played with the thought of killing these ones as well. His green eyes scanned them and he eyed their weapons. Some held guns, others held various items and materias. Most of them had guns. Even so, only one guard was visible to him at the moment.

Their boss. The one pointing a gun to Mika's throat and holding one arm around her.

Despite seeing how dangerous the situation was for her, Sephiroth could still not rid himself of the immensely annoying need to know whether or not to kill the Shinra employees. Mika did not want people to be killed, she never did, but it could be necessary if she wanted to escape unharmed. His fingers eased around Masamune and then tightened again. If Mika did not want him to kill those petty guards, he would take that as a challenge. And he always enjoyed a good challenge.

What he liked even more was to win. The harder the challenge was, the greater his victory would be.

Still holding his sword at the throat of the man holding Mika, he stepped closer. Knowing it was the only way of reducing danger to himself, the guard tightened his grip around Mika and pushed the gun to her neck even harder. He used her as a shield. Being the pathetic coward he was, the guard would not hesitate to kill Mika if that helped him. Sephiroth tilted his head up slightly, which only made the man tighten his hold on her more.

"What're you waiting for! Fire at will!" the man shouted at his subordinates. Those of them who carried guns instantly aimed for and fired at Sephiroth, who avoided all of it easily, using his superior speed to slide away from the bullets as they came. Then he dashed at the guards, slashing some with his sword. It all passed so incredibly slowly. The adrenaline mixed with his Jenova cells enhanced his swift movements and improved his senses. It was as if they were all walking underwater, their moves slow and languid, and he had all the time in the world to do anything he wanted to do to harm them - without them being able to interfere even the slightest. They were simply piteously slow.

The sight of the red blood running down his sword after stabbing one of the guards looked far more fascinating than he thought it would.

From somewhere that seemed to be far away, he heard the men shouting and saw them trying to protect themselves.

Then he felt Jenova tingle violently in his mind and stopped dead. He lowered his sword upon seeing in the corner of an eye that the men were escaping. Some were supporting others and most of them glanced over their shoulders to Sephiroth, whose eyes were dark as he struggled against the invisible force in his body and mind. A few of them talked into phones while running; warning the rest of Shinra. Upon realizing he had not killed anyone, but only hurt and injured them, his eyes narrowed. For some long moments he waited for his disappointment to surface and make him feel numb inside – empty – but it did not happen. Jenova stirred in his mind, but that was all.

Sephiroth's attention then snapped to the two last persons to run away, that man and Mika. He felt his eyes flash and started moving towards them, but stopped again as the man jerked away from his prisoner. Then he held his stomach and backed away as fast as he could, hunched. Mika was left behind with a smoking gun in her hand. As she watched the retreating Shinra guard while he struggled to follow the others, the man was helped by another person in whose hand there rested a black, bulky walkie-talkie. Mika spun around to face Sephiroth. If possible, she looked both relieved and shocked.

"You-You told them, they know!" she exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the man carrying the bulkiest communication device. It did not really bother him. It would be quite an entertaining challenge to take on the reactor with Mika without killing _any_ of the guards. A challenge beyond compare. It would be too easy to just slaughter them all and waste the reactor. Therefore, if Sephiroth was going to claim the title of the strongest on the Planet, he would have to accept that challenge and avoid killing anyone on his way. At least he would _try_ not to kill. If one or two got in his way or things turned troublesome, he would not hesitate to take their lives.

At all.

"Shinra knows we're here! That we're still alive!" Mika repeated as he did not respond. He approached her slowly, carefully observing her as her shoulders slumped down and she put her gun into her coat again while glancing over her shoulder. Upon seeing him get closer, his bloody sword still in hand, Mika frowned a little. Seeing this made Sephiroth attach his sword on his back with one hand, while still walking closer to Mika. From what he could recall, they had not left anything necessary behind in that small house they stayed in – apart from her mako blade, which was not of too much use any longer.

Which meant they should continue from here before Shinra returned with an entire army.

"Sephiroth, what..." Mika started in a silent voice as he stopped right in front of her. He intended to use his ability to levitate. Or _flying,_ as she so nicely called it. That way, they would get away from Shinra and cross the mountains easily. But something kept him from doing it. She stepped back to increase the space between them, still not sure what he was going to do. When he stepped closer again, she stepped back one more time, her suspicious eyes never leaving him. He could feel his own eyes gleam; they were lighter than usual due to his increased use of Jenova cells some minutes ago. Her face was given a very faint green color by the light from his eyes, giving her skin a soft look. Then it started again, the same that happened that morning: He felt as though Jenova was trying something, only it could not be _her._ Jenova wanted to get _rid_ of Mika, not to get closer to her, did she not?

Even so, he felt compelled to close the distance between them once more. And this time, as Mika tried walking back, her back hit a tree. Her head turned to see what she had hit, and then her eyes returned to him. She no longer looked confused, but wary. Sephiroth looked away for some seconds and forced away the feeling of Jenova controlling him without him knowing it. When he turned back to Mika, he could no longer see the faint green light from his eyes on her face. Upon seeing that his eyes were back to how they used to be, Mika seemed to calm down a little. The absence of the faint, emerald light made her look better by far.

Sephiroth bent down and leaned against her, letting their foreheads touch, and his arms rested on either side of her on the large tree-trunk. Never having been this close to her face before, Mika's gaze seemed so clear and vivid he barely recognized her. The green-tinted hazel color of her eyes looked into his own in a manner that could only be described as striking, as she refused to look away. Her hands rested against his chest, her skin touching his, yet still separating him from her.

"We will leave for Icicle Inn," he said in a deep, yet silent voice and Mika's eyes glanced between his two burning eyes.

"... How?" she asked, her voice light. Sephiroth smirked upon hearing her speak, her single word tainted with what he believed was nervousness, which resulted in Mika frowning.

Moving his hands from the large tree Mika rested against, Sephiroth let them slide up her waist, then hoisted her up. She gave a sound of surprise and moved her hands to his shoulders once their faces were at the same level. When he was sure she held on tight, he moved his arms around her. To her great shock, Sephiroth bent down and then jumped up into the air, flying away. He heard her gasp for air and felt her arms slide over his shoulders to link behind his neck. She pulled her legs up as well, tightening them around his hips. This would have been much less intimate if she had been on his back, like before. However, as things were at the moment, she rested against his chest. Thanks to his very much strengthened senses, feeling her every curve against him was inevitable. Her head rested on his shoulder, right next to his neck.

Once they were above the tall, old trees, Sephiroth immediately flew west in the direction of Icicle Inn. If Cloud was there, like they had been told by Vincent Valentine, they would have to deal with it in one way or another. Mika, still straddling him, shifted slightly as her head turned. Sephiroth turned to look as well. A fizzling ball of electricity flew past them, forcing him to jerk around in mid-air. Though he could not see exactly where, there were definitely people from Shinra below. Some more sparks came from underneath, emerging from between the sleeping trees of the forest. Sephiroth increased his speed and Mika held on tight, occasionally turning her head in an attempt to see the Shinra employees on the ground.

Shots were fired. Thanks to skillful maneuvering, though, none hit them. Other spells eventually flew past them, fire spells most of the time, but also others. As the two of them got closer to the mountains, a large fireball hit the snow below them, resulting in a small avalanche. Grinding down the mountain, it collected more snow on its way and continued towards the forest below. It did not go far, though, as the tall trees shielded the rest of the forest by stopping much of it. Sephiroth took advantage of this turn of events and crossed the mountains. Then he lowered as much as possible, determined to avoid Shinra's view.

"Sephiroth!" Mika warned as he approached a wall of much smaller trees, all heavy with snow. He had already seen them and lowered just enough to fly under the branches, which were heavy with snow. He passed many of them, dangerously close to both the branches and the snow underneath. Holding on to him tighter than ever, Mika held her breath. Right before they got out of the small forest, a pile of snow towered in front of him. It was only twice as tall as the other piles of snow he had seen, but he could not fly over it, because then they would hit the heavy branch hanging above.

Thus, they crashed into the white and cold snow. The snow was not very compact, so they went straight through it, landing in the snow on the other side.

Complete silence ensued as no wind, nor spells or gunshots were heard. The blue shadows cast by the heavy branches of the short trees gave the surroundings an eerie glow. Not like the glow of Mako, but like something else. It was as if no one had ever been there before them; a secret place found and owned by none other than themselves. Finally able to relax, Mika let go of Sephiroth. Her arms fell into the snow next to her and her head dropped back. Sephiroth, hovering over her after their fall, had one hand on each side of her in the cold snow. Seeing her exposed neck as a result of her letting her head fall back, he remained still. Her body touched his every time she took a breath. Upon realizing he had yet to move, Mika tilted her head up again to see his face.

Then he let his arms slide closer to her in the deep snow until they touched her. He let them wrap around her and lowered to her, resting on top of her. At first she froze, then, very slowly, she relaxed. Hesitating, she moved her arms to place her hands on his shoulders. Then she let one of them slide to his neck and traced it from his jaw and halfway down to his chest. Her cold, yet soft touch tingled his skin, taunting him. As an answer to her touch, he let one of his gloved hands make its way into her coat and let it rest on top of her shirt, then moved it around her waist. Mika shifted, taking a deep breath as she tried to move away from his hand, which was cold as a result of the snow he had touched only seconds ago.

He smirked at that. But then she quickly moved an arm to the snow next to her, and with a great effort she managed to roll the two of them over until she was on top, straddling him. That lasted for three seconds, because he rolled over again. And this time, he made sure she could not do the same one more time. Being on top of her again, situated between her knees and with his hands holding her wrists down, she couldn't do a thing. His silver hair hung down, landing in her face. She tried to free an arm, but as his grip only hardened, she used her breath instead in order to blow away his hair from her view.

And once she was done and looked up into his green orbs again, he lowered until their lips barely brushed. She didn't move, did not breathe, just stared. Then he kissed her full on her lips, causing her to inhale sharply. He leaned more into her and increased the force of the kiss, his eyes just barely open so he could see her close her eyes. Her chest rose as she took one more breath through her nose, feeling him press against her. He swiftly moved both of his hands away from her wrists, into her coat and under her top at her waist. As he touched her with his icy, gloved hands and moved them to her back, she arched up in an attempt to evade the cold grip. He responded by pressing her down and holding around her more tightly, his grip inevitably cold.

They broke the kiss, each of them gazing into the eyes of the other. Mika stared, a little disoriented. Personally, Sephiroth could not feel Jenova at all, which was good. What pleased him more, however, was that Mika had done nothing to stop him. Sephiroth, still holding around her, sat up while pulling her along with him. He sat on his knees in the snow and she was on his lap with one leg on each side of him. He looked over her shoulder.

"...Where... is my sword?" he asked in a murmur, well aware that was a strange thing to ask right after what they had just been doing. She just blinked and looked past him, still somewhat flustered.

"I don't know... No, wait, it's right there," she mumbled and he turned his head to see the pile of snow they had first crashed in. His Masamune hung from the branch above it, its hilt stuck there. They had hit the snow _and _the branch? Sephiroth frowned a little. He thought he had managed to avoid at least one of the hindrances.

"I have snow in my clothes..." Mika complained in a mumble, her cheeks reddening. This earned a smirk from him, which only made her blush grow. He got to his feet and then let go of her. After watching her for some long seconds, gazing into her orbs, he slowly turned and grabbed his sword and freed it from the branch. Half of his Masamune was in the snow and thus there was no more blood on it. The snow had cleansed it. Sephiroth eyed it in wonder, but then attached it to his back again. Vaguely wondering what would have happened to the two of them if the sword _hadn't _fallen off, and if it had been attached to his back more properly, Sephiroth started walking. Mika walked next to him, making her way through the thick, heavy snow.

* * *

After an insanely long time of walking and some difficulties on their way, they arrived outside the town Icicle Inn. She knew why they hadn't even tried to fly after that incident with Shinra. Not only did they try to avoid Shinra, but also Cloud Strife. Cloud was at Icicle Inn, waiting for his companions to arrive. He also waited for the 'five-man-platoon' that he believed survived back in Wutai. How would he react if he found out that Sephiroth was among those he wanted to help? If someone in the town saw a person or two flying down from the mountain, they would most likely tell the others, including Cloud. And Cloud was smart enough to find out who the flying people were.

Thus, they didn't fly. Or levitate, as Sephiroth called it. That was probably the correct title of his ability. But as a result of this, they arrived in Icicle Inn much later than first anticipated. At least they didn't have to cross the _entire_ mountain. Evening had already announced its arrival, swallowed by night not much later. Therefore it was pitch dark outside when they walked into town. There were no Shinra soldiers or guards there, probably because Cloud of Avalanche was there. The leader of Avalanche didn't exactly go along with Shinra, and Shinra wasn't too fond of him either. The shadows shielded them as they walked closer to the largest building in town; an Inn. Mika guessed the town had been given its name because of it: The town of Icicle Inn.

Sephiroth waited outside while Mika went inside and walked closer to the counter. The warmth was overwhelming, but she welcomed it. Her cheeks were probably as red as tomatoes already, but she couldn't have cared less. She could finally feel her hands again.

"Can I help you, miss?" the man behind the counter asked. Mika smiled.  
"Do you have a room or two?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.  
"You're lucky now! We have one room left. The others are taken," the man said. Mika ordered that room and was handed its key. At the same time, she also ordered a huge plate of food that was large enough to make the Inn owner arch an eyebrow.

"What brings you here?" a voice asked, and she turned around.

A blue-eyed man with blond hair watched her warily, his elbows resting on the counter next to her.

Cloud Strife.

She was dead.

"Ah... Vacation," she answered as persuasively as possible, satisfied that she didn't sound like she was lying.

"This late?" he asked, not impolitely.  
"Actually, I got lost on my way here. That's why I'm so late," she said awkwardly. The man moved his strong blue gaze to the huge plate of food she held in her hands.

"...Is all of that for you?" he asked, wondering. Mika's blush extended to her ears while she tried to find an excuse.  
"I haven't eaten properly for days... I just thought I'd catch up and make sure I don't get ill. _Again_," she answered, which was true enough.

Cloud glanced at the plate once more and narrowed his eyes. He didn't comment it, though, and Mika headed for the stairs. She walked slowly, not wanting to look as though she hurried away from Cloud's company. Once she was upstairs she unlocked the door with some difficulties and went inside. The plate, filled to the edge with food, was placed on a small table before Mika headed over to the lone, big window. The frame was nearly frozen in place, but she managed to open it up wide. Then she stepped back while looking into the darkness outside. She couldn't see a thing.

Then she heard snow being pressed down as someone stepped on it and Sephiroth appeared in the window frame. His leather cloak rustled as he stepped down into the room. Mika, already feeling cold again, hurried to close the window. When she turned again, Sephiroth sat on the edge of one of the beds in there, watching the food she had brought.

"...I only bought one plate, because two would look suspicious," she mumbled as an explanation, not daring to speak any louder in case someone would hear her. He understood that and shuffled closer to the small table. Mika watched him start to eat, then she settled on the other bed in the room. It didn't take long before Sephiroth stopped eating and she turned to him. More than half of the food was gone, but the rest was there. He didn't say anything, but didn't have to. Mika took the plate and pulled it over to her end of the table. Taking her time, she ate much of it, but it didn't take long before she was full. And - not to her surprise - Sephiroth took the rest of it.

Grabbing the key from the small table, she jogged to the door and locked it just in case. The room had a small bathroom as well, so she took a shower.

"Don't look..." she warned before emerging again, wearing only clean underwear from some of her coat pockets, as well as a black towel. She had been in there for a while, putting all the items from her coat into the shelves, because there was also a washing machine in there. She had stuffed all of her clothes into it and pushed all the right buttons to avoid ruining them. Sephiroth looked in another direction when she came into the bedroom again.

But that didn't help _her_ much.

His coat and gloves were on the floor at his feet and he sat there silently, his upper body bare. Averting her gaze from his incredibly smooth, pale, fine skin and his exceptionally perfect and nice-looking muscles, she watched the boring wall while wrapping her blanket around her tightly. Then she disposed of her towel, still trying not to look at the man in the opposite end of the room. Then he got to his feet and walked into the bathroom as well, not forgetting to flex his muscles on his way there. His face, however, remained devoid of any sort of expression.

* * *

**R.R.**  
(-gasps-)! Deh _K__iss!_  
Reviews will be used to bribe the weekends so they'll last longer.  
...and how much would _you _pay to see Sephiroth's bare upper body..? (-finds wallet of sheer fangirlishness-of-doom-)


	23. The Snowy Mountains

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters.

Uh... Just a little warning:  
The end of this chappie is a little... err... lemony? Or orangy, perhaps? If you don't like it, just skip it if you want to... (You won't miss anything important)

* * *

**The Snowy Mountains - Unintended**

* * *

Mika walked down the stairs to the first floor, being as quiet as possible. She couldn't hear anyone else there and that pleased her. Earlier the same morning, after getting dressed in her comfortably clean clothes, she had opened the door only to find lots of food there waiting for them. She had rolled the trolley inside and she and Sephiroth had enjoyed a quick breakfast. His clothes were clean as well. Both of them had prepared themselves in silence for what was to come. After eating, though, they had to part. Sephiroth had already exited through the window, but Mika had to give back the room key first.

Without a sound, which made her quite proud, Mika placed the keys on the counter. There wasn't a soul to be seen. Upon turning around, however, she was quite abruptly stopped by none other than Cloud Strife.

"...You. You can't fool me," he said, his shiny Mako eyes looking at her intently.  
"What?" she asked, bewildered. She couldn't breathe.

"I know you're one of the persons who've broken many of the Mako reactors. Where are your teammates?" he asked, not unkindly. Mika stepped back only a little, not knowing how to react at that. Apparently, Cloud didn't know about Sephiroth. Shinra must have ordered their minions to stay quiet. They had probably even released a fake rumor. But what about the Wutai villagers? They had seen Sephiroth, hadn't they?

"Where are the others?" he asked again and Mika turned away, unable to look into his shiny eyes.

"They're not here, because that would be too risky because of Shinra. They told me to stay here while they took care of the final reactor, because I'll only be in their way. I think they're already there," Mika muttered, not too loudly, because she was afraid he would be able to tell that she didn't speak the truth. Upon hearing her answer, Cloud frowned and then turned on his heel and walked outside. Mika hesitated a little, but followed.

Sephiroth had better not show up in the middle of the street.

"You should leave this town. Once I'm out of here, Shinra will be all over the place and ask questions. There's a cabin in the mountains that you can hide in if you want to. I'll go assist your friends once I've teamed up with my own," Cloud informed, his voice quiet, yet determined. Mika nodded once he turned to her. Then, after some long moments in which he scrutinized her with his glowing eyes, he turned and left. Relieved, Mika walked to the northern part of the small town and stopped once she was on top of a disturbingly large hill. She spotted Sephiroth in the corner of an eye, but didn't turn to him.

"...We will fly down. As long as we stay close to the ground and out of sight, that will be the fastest and safest way of doing things. A sneak attack is preferable. Even if they know that we're coming, they do not know when we will be there," he said. The voice in which his words emerged seemed darker than usual, and also colder. Had he seen Cloud? When she didn't answer, but only nodded -still looking downhill - she heard him approach from behind.

Before she could blink, he scooped her up and took off. Mika gave a small cry of surprise as they left the ground, his arms around her. She didn't quite know how to hold on, so she grabbed the belts of his coat and didn't let go. Sephiroth wasted no time and lowered until they almost hit the snowy, sloping ground far below. By staying low, chances of being spotted decreased considerably. Still holding her in his arms, he moved back and forth to avoid trees and boulders in their way. The cold wind stung her eyes so much that she had to narrow them to slits. Even though they moved very fast, it took them quite a while to get down. At times they had to stop in mid-air and hide as Shinra helicopters passed them on the way north. They were most likely heading for the Northern Crater and the reactor there.

Once they were finally on the bottom of the hill they continued across the icy plains. As the snowy landscape was very empty, it became harder for them to hide, and the breaks became more frequent. In the end they headed into the most foggy area and moved slowly through the thick mist shrouding them. It made it impossible to see anything else than what was right in front of them. At least the helicopters couldn't see them. Besides, Sephiroth could see better than her anyway.

"After getting across here, we have to make our way through some caves. Flying over the mountain will not be a smart move, surely," he said in a low voice, then eyed her for some long seconds. While he spoke, chills ran down her spine upon feeling the rumbling of his chest. Trying to ignore that, Mika gave some nods of agreement. He was right; if they chose to fly over the mountains, Shinra was bound to see them before they got to the reactor.

"But won't they be waiting on the other side of the caves in case we go that way?" she asked absently.

"Yes," was his short reply, his voice distant. Was he planning to kill the guards?

"...You're not going to kill them all, are you? It'll be much easier to kill them than to avoid killing them, and you don't want to choose the easiest option, do you?" Mika asked, much too fast, looking up at him with wide eyes. At her her words, he remained silent for some long seconds, but then slowly moved his jade gaze down to watch her. Then he flashed her a smirk.

"When extreme, all evils are equal," he muttered. Meaning he was of the opinion that killing people was just as bad – or good – as severely injuring people... Or so she guessed.  
"But you can't- I mean, you can, but you shouldn't!" she exclaimed, knitting her eyebrows. He averted his gaze.

"...You should not worry about the well-being of your enemies. When having two options, I like to try the one that I have not yet tried," he said in a dark voice. Mika narrowed her eyes a little. He had killed before. Did that mean he would try not to kill this time? But he had also avoided killing before. She and the Turks were living proof. That could mean he was going to kill after all. Right?

"What if you've tried them both?" she asked.  
"Then I shall once again try them both," he replied. Frustrated, Mika frowned.

"But killing is evil," she stated, her voice quiet. At that, she could have sworn she saw a flash of green in his eyes, strong and bright.  
"Evil is merely a point of view. As is malice," he said, his voice once again sounding unfamiliar. Was Jenova causing it?

"...What about Meteor?" she asked, even more concerned. He once again looked down at her.

* * *

Sephiroth observed Mika, who currently held on to the front of his coat as if it were her last chance of survival. What she had said before, back in Cosmo Canyon, crossed his mind. He was already stronger and had more knowledge than all the others on the Planet. That was true. Summoning yet another Meteor of the same size as the previous one would be foolish in a way; if he desired more knowledge, all he had to do was to dive into the Lifestream and stay there for a while - simply put. That would draw a lot less attention to them. Besides, summoning Meteor again would take a lot of time.

However, summoning a much smaller Meteor was a more desirable option. With that, he could take out the reactor while at the same time absorbing the slightly smaller amount of Lifestream that the Planet would use as a shield. It wouldn't do too much damage to the Planet itself, as the Meteor would hit the reactor instead.

"...I shall refrain from summoning a Meteor of the same size as the last one. Instead, I can summon a smaller one to take out the reactor," he muttered. The inevitable end of human life was death. People were bound to die if they were close enough to the Meteor once it landed. Hopefully, Shinra was smart enough to send their people away upon seeing the impending doom of their final reactor. Meteor would catch their attention, surely.

"As for killing, I have not yet made a decision. If killing becomes necessary, I will not hesitate. But I will carry your words with me for consideration," he said, looking down at her with eyes that were only slightly milder than usual. She was right; killing them all would be the easiest thing to do, and choosing the easiest option would make him seem weak. Avoiding to kill would be harder, and if he managed not to cause any deaths, that would mean that he was skilled. Without a doubt.

To his surprise, Mika smiled up at him. Her smile was almost annoyingly sincere. She simply looked incredibly pleased. Whether it was of self-satisfaction or thankfulness, he was tempted to stifle it. As they passed a large, cold lake, he once again flashed a small smirk and looked from the icy lake to Mika. Her smile turned into an expression of wonder, and then he lowered to levitate right above the surface of the water, which was surely colder than she liked by far. While lowering, Mika tightened her grip.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice a little nervous. They hovered above the surface and on purpose, he loosened his grip on her. Realizing that her hold on his coat would not save her, she moved one arm around his neck, barely touching his Masamune, which was attached to his back. Her other hand remained around the belts at his chest.

"You won't drop me..! Will you?" she asked, looking down.  
"...I am perfectly capable of letting go," he said, and the quietness of his tone made the cold amusement of his reply unmistakably clear.

"No! That's evil!" she said, and then he lowered even more while loosening his grip again.  
"Please stop? I'll do anything!" she begged, her grip tightening. He came to a halt.

"...Anything?" he repeated in a whisper, dangerously close to her as she held on tight.

After some long seconds of complete silence in which she stared at him and he gazed back, another Shinra helicopter approached, and Mika nodded violently at his question. Smirking wider this time, Sephiroth rose up into the air again and darted away from the icy lake. Mika's grip barely faltered the next hours. It would never have taken that long if it were not for all the helicopters. In the evening, they finally arrived at the bottom of the last small mountain range that separated them from the reactor. Sephiroth could hear the activity on the other side.

The two of them were in for some troublesome work.  
But not today.

Sephiroth turned in mid-air to see a small log cabin nearby, almost completely covered by snow. That would be an ideal place for saving energy for their assault. Besides, some finishing touches had to be made on his plan.

"Cloud told me that the cabin over there is free for people to use..." Mika mentioned. Upon hearing that name, his featured darkened. He moved closer to the snow-covered building.

What she said was true. The log cabin was empty and free for them to use. With her still in his arms, he found a Fire materia and lit the fireplace. There were some mattresses in the middle of the room. Though it was really cold at first, the fireplace did a good job in warming the small place. Most of the cabin looked rather old, but there seemed to be a small extension on one side. It even held a shower. More importantly, though, the water was warm. He guessed it had something to do with the many hot springs up there in the mountains, caused by the Mako surplus.

"Wow. Nice," Mika muttered, still in his arms. Then she loosened her grip, thinking he would drop her when she did. In turn, however, he tightened his grip around her. This earned him quite an amusing look from her. To see her reaction, he slowly gave her an evil smirk. It resembled one of those he had given Cloud in the past, but it was different, in a way. Upon seeing his face, she blushed and stared in slight shock.

"...Anything?" he murmured, repeating the word he had said to her above the icy lake, and her cheeks reddened even more as she gave him a sheepish smile, her eyes still wide. He lowered a little and let go of her. After sending a slightly distressed glance in his direction, she walked back into the room with the fireplace.

* * *

After eating the food she had brought, Sephiroth relaxed in the tiny, old 'kitchen'. Meanwhile Mika was in the room with the fireplace, nonchalantly pulling some mattresses off the mattress pile there and placing them on the floor. Taking her time, she found some blankets in the shelves next to the door and dropped them carelessly on top. It was getting quite warm in there already. Glancing in the direction of the fireplace, she found one of her materias. With some well-directed spells, she managed to weaken the fire a little.

She threw her coat to the floor and went to stand on top of one mattress. Then, on purpose, she fell backwards and landed on top of the blankets. Content, she waved her arms as if to create an angel in the snow, then put her arms behind her head and closed her eyes. However, upon feeling a very faint change of temperature, she could tell that Sephiroth had opened the door separating the kitchen from the room she was in. He was done eating? She opened her eyes and looked up, but only saw shadows, as the light of the fireplace was not too strong. It was, in a way, intimidating, and her content smirk faltered.

She knew he was there, but couldn't see him.

Deciding that she didn't want to be surprised by him, she got to her feet and walked straight into the room he came from. He did not stop her, so she felt particularly smart. She narrowed her eyes and searched the small kitchen. Slowly, she turned back and walked into the other room again. It wouldn't surprise her if he tried to scare her. Even knowing this, she was well aware that he would be able to take her by surprise no matter if she tried preparing herself for it.

"Sephiroth?" she tried quietly.

Upon receiving no answer, she walked in there anyway. For an incredibly short second everything looked completely normal. That stopped as soon as two strong arms locked around her. As bare, muscular arms were the only thing she could see of him, she tried getting a glance of him. Looking down, she saw his feet. He, like her, had rid himself of his boots and was barefoot. Though her arms were prevented from moving too much in his grip, she moved a hand to hold around one of his arms. A sudden urge to get a small revenge crossed her mind and she tightened her grip on his arm.

"...Keeping me from moving is evil. Evil communication corrupts admirable manners," she said in a matter-of-fact way, her voice perfectly solemn. His grip fastened considerably.  
"But the only thing required for the victory of evil is for good people to do nothing," he said in a whisper. Mika narrowed her eyes. Was he saying she was not even trying to stop him?

"If that is the case, I shall do my best to defeat said evil," she said, exaggerating more than just a little by sounding very solemn. She did it to stay calm more than anything.  
"...Will you be able to do that, I wonder?" he asked in a murmur, then let his cheek brush her neck as he let his jaw slide down to her shoulder. Mika froze upon feeling his light touch. He moved to let his lips touch her pale, soft skin. As a response, Mika turned her head around as much as she could muster and did the same with him when he pulled back a little. After some long seconds, she moved her head back to see him leer down at her. In a movement too quick for her to see, he turned her around so she faced him and moved her against the closest wall.

Pinning her there, with his hands holding her shoulders and hers on his upper arms, he let his forehead rest against hers. His jade orbs burned, his gaze not lacking intensity. Then he eyed her intently and closed the space between them with a zealous kiss. His weight increased as he leaned closer. Not letting go, he pulled her away from the wall. With him leading the way, they stumbled towards the middle of the room, his lips still on hers.

Sephiroth lowered, as did Mika, until he sat on his knees with her straddling his hips. She pulled back to catch her breath, then used her legs to gain leverage as she pushed him down into the soft mattresses. Straddling him, she looked down at him in a satisfied manner. Even so - by tilting his head back a little - he managed to look down on her. As he did, she took advantage of his suddenly exposed neck and lowered. She gave him several small kisses, one by one, starting right below his jaw and continuing down to the spot between his collarbones.

Not wanting her to have the upper hand, Sephiroth took hold of her shoulders and pushed her off before bringing her to her back. Her eyes flashed open and she looked up at him only to see his fervent, jade eyes above her for a brief moment as he hovered above her. He lowered until on top of her, situated between her knees again, and moved both of his arms under her top and to her back. Letting his nails slide across her skin, he smirked as she arched slightly.

As he let his arms wrap around her and once more pull her closer while leaning down into her, she uttered a short, barely audible groan. His eyes glowed emerald and widened only a little, and he stifled her groan with yet another kiss.

What Sephiroth wanted, he got.

Without fail.

"Did you know..." he said in whisper, his hands sliding up her back until they were at her shoulders.  
"What?" she asked in a breath, flinching as his strong hands took hold of her shoulders, not letting go.

"That 'evil' spelled backwards is 'live'?" he muttered playfully while pulling her down, closer to him, by her shoulders. It was a rhetorical question, but she replied nonetheless;  
"Then... which is it you prefer?" she asked, slowly moving her arms around his back. Then she hesitantly let her fingers slide down his spine, and after sending him a smirk that he did not fail to notice, she tickled him. His muscles tensed upon registering her light touch, lunging closer.

"...The latter," he said in a husky whisper, grazing her pale skin slightly before she gave him a soft, chaste kiss.  
**

* * *

R.R.**  
(gawsh, i don't dare to say anything else now...) Be... nice..? (-is writhing in pain and a weird kind of embarrassment-)


	24. The Northern Crater

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy.

...Thanks sooo much for encouraging me with your uh-maazing reviews!

* * *

**The Northern Crater - Death**

* * *

Mika woke up the next morning with a strange sensation. It was hard hard to breathe in a way. That didn't surprise her, as two strong arms held around her tightly, not planning to let go any time soon. She tried moving a little, which resulted in previously mentioned arms tightening around her again. That had happened a lot lately, it would seem. She smiled heartily. Was Sephiroth awake or was he asleep?

Her wondering came to an abrupt stop as her arm moved completely on its own. It slid away from her, then moved up and stopped in mid-air. Mika looked at it with narrowed eyes as her fingers curled and uncurled. Was Sephiroth doing that? When she tried pulling her arm back, it didn't even move an inch.

"Sephiroth?" she asked in a whisper.  
"...Hm?" was the muffled reply.

"Are you the one making my arm move?" she said, giving a nod in the direction of her hand, which was now waving slowly, as if trying to get used to its own movement. She could feel Sephiroth shift as he looked up, but his arms stayed around her waist. The second he saw her hand, her arm dropped back down, feeling strange.

"...No," he said, sounding strangely alarmed. She could only imagine the frown on his face. If he didn't, who did?

* * *

Sephiroth did not like this at all. Something was not right. If Mika's arm moved on its own without him doing anything, that could only mean that Jenova was to blame. He guessed that had something to do with their location. Jenova was found in the northern crater long ago by Shinra and therefore, her control somehow strengthened if she got close to it. Considering the fact that both he and Mika had Jenova's cells, that could pose a problem. He could deal with it, yes, but Mika?

The two of them got ready in silence and Mika took a shower in the small bathroom. After she was done, he did the same. They had nothing to eat, but that did not matter. There would be plenty of time to eat later. After having wiped out the final reactor. Shinra and all its employees would have to find themselves a new way of life - preferably not including the draining of Mako energy.

After leaving the warm log cabin, Sephiroth took Mika to the cave entrance and let her down from his back. Both of them readied their weapons and entered, Sephiroth holding his Masamune and Mika holding her gun. The fiends in there were strong, and also perfectly capable and ready not only to injure them, but to give them status ailments such as Poison, Confusion and Sleep. Sephiroth would do fine, though. Also, Shinra guards, and perhaps even Soldiers of lower class than him could be hiding around every corner.

As they continued deeper into the Mako-lit ice cave, they met several monsters. None posed a problem. Sephiroth sliced many of them into two not-quite-good-looking halves, leaving pools of blood before the fiends in question disappeared in a cloud of Mako pyreflies and returned to the Lifestream. Mika did a fair amount of damage as well. With an almost perfect aim, she hit the vital spots of most of the fiends they met. By shooting their eyes, hearts or heads, she instantly blinded, paralyzed or even killed them. Even so, she maintained the most spectacular of faces all the way - as if confident and scared half to death at the same time.

However, as they got closer to the other side - the cave exit - she stopped shooting. She had to save ammunition and besides, she didn't want anyone from Shinra to hear her gunshots. The two of them were too close to make any noise without being detected. They were also close to a vital item which had been on Sephiroth's mind for quite a while. And he knew that it was nearby.

The Black Materia.

"Mika... I will go retrieve the Black Materia," he informed, strangely quiet. Though his words were true, he had yet to find out whether or not to actually use it. If he used it, he would only have enough time to summon a small Meteor. A large one would take too long.

"...I shall refrain from summoning... a large Meteor," he added, muttering, and knew that she knew what that meant. Even so, she nodded.

Seconds later, he ran to the exit and jumped in to the air, instantly flying away and out of her sight. Shinra spotted him at once and opened fire. The employees fired at will and he evaded and blocked their spells and the many bullets fired in his direction. Though he already held materias and his Masamune, his attention was elsewhere. He had to find the black Materia before taking care of those Shinra soldiers. The giant reactor caught his eyes for a moment. The huge, armored building shone brightly in the sun, not dented, nor even scratched. It would not surprise him if the fiends stayed away from it only because of how it looked. It was like half a sphere, an enormous ball half hidden by the rocky ground and the glittering snow around it.  
Damaging it would not be easy.

* * *

Mika listened to the noise outside the cave, worrying. It eventually ceased and she heard people move away. They probably followed him. What could she do while waiting?

She stepped closer to the exit, her gun still in her hand just in case.

Once they were all out of sight, Mika slowly moved outside. Though the sun was shining brightly, it was freezing, and her breaths turned into small clouds as she exhaled. The small, misty clouds shrouded her sight only a little. There was no time to waste. All Sephiroth had to do to find out where she was, was to search for her presence with his mind – the way he had done when controlling her back in Gongaga and Wutai. Therefore she made her way towards the huge reactor. She didn't move too close, though, and moved from boulder to boulder not to get spotted. From the other side of the reactor, shouts and gunshots were heard. Mika narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

They had seen Sephiroth, yes, but what about her? Had they forgotten about her?

Her question was left unanswered until a bad feeling took hold of her some minutes later. Something even colder than the icy air was placed at her right temple. In the corner of an eye Mika saw someone dressed in a dark blue suit and her spirits fell like an anvil. How useless could she _be_?

"Got you," Elena the Turk said, sounding terribly victorious.

Not much later, Mika was pushed into a large room of some kind. Despite the fact that she was now inside the reactor, she didn't feel very good. Her upper arms were held by Rude and Reno - Elena still held a gun to her head, and Tseng was standing right next to her. This seemed to please Elena immensely. As the blonde woman stepped closer to the tall, black-haired man, Tseng moved away. Though not intently, he still made Elena quite annoyed. Mika could live with these persons, yes, but there was a fifth person in there as well.

President Rufus Shinra.

"Mika, is it?" Rufus asked absently, not watching her at all. Mika kept her face devoid of expression and looked at him in a cold manner until he looked up. The president found a gun from his white suit. It was the same gun he had used to injure Sephiroth. Though she had never been this close to it, she was sure it was the same. Rufus gave a sigh.

"Back in Wutai...You shot me," he stated.  
"There are other ways to create energy than to drain Mako. Cheaper ways," Mika countered, ignoring his words. Rufus arched his eyebrows and tilted his head back a little.

"Really?" he asked, mocking her. Mika's expression remained cold - with a hint of annoyance.  
"...You can use electricity from water, wind, or from the sun. It's cheaper than the Mako reactors. Despite that, you can sell it for the same price as you sold Mako," she continued. The Planet was – literally – _suffering_. Rufus sighed and looked down to the floor in front of him, then looked back at her. He was nearly as tall as Sephiroth, which forced Mika to look up once he walked closer to her. She didn't step back, determined to stand her ground.

"Tell me, Mika... Can you make _materias_ of electricity created from water?" he asked. Reno held back a snort while Mika's thoughts raced.  
"No... But there's already lots of materia around. If Shinra stop selling them, their value will increase. You can earn money on that," Mika countered.

Rufus cupped her chin with one hand and used his other to point his gun at her chest. Mika blinked once, but didn't move. At the same time she felt a faint tingle inside, meaning that Sephiroth searched for her presence. She was too far away from him for him to take control of her, but it still made her calm down. At least he knew where she was.

She glanced past Rufus.

This was the heart of the reactor. Could she do anything to take it out?

As if on cue, she lost control of herself again like she had done the same morning. This time, though, it was not only her arm. Her entire body was under control, and before she could blink, her left arm jerked down, out of Reno's grip, and continued up to take hold of Rufus' gun. With a force that was not her own, she used a leg to kick him off his feet. His face expressed shock similar to the one she felt herself, but she was unable to show it while her body was under control of another. Once Rufus landed, he swiftly moved to his legs and looked in her direction. She was holding his gun. She pointed it at Rude with a dangerous frown on her face, her eyes frigid. He let go and stepped back, leaving Mika to turn to Reno again.

"Tseng!" Rufus called, giving them an unspoken order. Tseng nodded to Elena, who dropped Mika's gun (which she had taken earlier) to the floor and turned to her.

Momentarily regaining control over her movement, Mika clumsily ran towards Rufus, who instantly stepped aside, expecting a faster attack. Mika, however, darted past him and over to the middle of the reactor. Once there, she quickly found a smoke bomb and threw it over her shoulder, then found all her remaining bombing devices as fast as she could. This reactor was huge, and also strong. She would need everything she had. Hidden by the smoke of her bomb, she placed the bombs on the spots where she thought they would do the most damage.

"Oh no, you won't!" Elena said from somewhere in the smoke, and out of a pure gut feeling, Mika kicked in the direction of the sound. Her ankle connected with Elena's legs, making her fall and utter a sound of surprise. The smoke started wearing off and Elena tried getting to her feet. Mika kept her from doing so by shooting the ground right next to her with Rufus' gun, which made the Turk jerk out of the way.

Feeling her heart hammer like never before, Mika pointed the gun at the President. He started stepping away.

"Stop, or I'll shoot," Mika said, sounding far more determined than she was. He came to a halt, looking at her in a bothered manner as the other Turks could only watch. Mika stepped closer to the president without looking away. Where was Sephiroth?Her control once again wandered out of her reach, giving away to a presence she guessed was Jenova. The Turks held their weapons ready, watching Mika as her eyes twitched when she lost control.

Then, to her great horror, she moved the gun and pointed it at her chest - right next to her heart. Her finger tightened on the trigger by the second. As a result, she got the attention of every single one in the room, and all of them looked at her, taken aback by her unpredicted move.

"Hey, if you kill yourself, Sephiroth's gonna murder everyone on the Planet, yo! You don't want that, right?" Reno tried, sounding anxious.

_That is what I want to happen._

Thoughts of Jenova filled her mind slowly. If Mika had had any more control, she would have frowned deeply. But she didn't.  
Nor did Jenova.

* * *

Sephiroth dashed in the direction of the reactor with the Black Materia in his right hand and his bloody Masamune in the other. The presences he could feel within were all much too familiar. The Turks were there with Mika, and the President as well - he could feel their presences. No other guards were inside, as they were all outside chasing him. As long as Mika was inside, though, there was no way he could summon even a small Meteor to take out the reactor. And from what he could tell, she was under Jenova's control.

That did not bode well.

Wrecking the two main doors with several consecutive earthquake spells, Sephiroth kicked them out of his way. The first things he saw once he was inside were the many doors, then a machine holding countless buttons. Not bothering to read any of them at all, he pushed all the largest buttons, believing that at least one of them would open the correct door, which was labelled 'Main Engines – Do Not Enter'. A small message flashed on the display of the machine, telling him that the main roof was opened. What was the meaning of that?

Ignoring it, he looked back at the door he would need to go through. He approached the door with long strides and it opened when he was close enough. His random pushing of those buttons had apparently paid off. Once inside, there was yet another door, which looked a lot older. It was open, so he walked inside.

Though his features remained devoid of emotion, his slightly widened eyes still expressed a fracture of fear upon seeing the situation inside.

Mika was pointing a gun to her heart. The very gun that had been used to injure him after their assault in Wutai. He could see that she struggled to regain control by the way her eyes narrowed. She was knitting her eyebrows in concentration, and her were eyes fixed on the weapon. Jenova was obviously at fault. Above them, the roof started opening. Sephiroth vaguely remembered the display message he saw only moments ago, which had told him the main roof was being opened. As the round ceiling above opened, it parted into four large parts. The growing opening let cold air flow inside as the reactor opened like some sort of metal flower and the room cooled down considerably.

As Tseng turned to give the other Turks an order, he stopped in his tracks as he spotted Sephiroth. His eyes widened, making the others turn as well. The female Turk got to her feet as well. She did not act quite as cocky as he remembered at the moment. Tseng glanced back at Mika, then looked at Rufus, whose attention was already on Sephiroth. The President scowled, his dark eyes holding no good thoughts at all.

To their confusion, and even annoyance, he ignored them completely.

Mika's eyes moved up, and upon seeing him, her already pained expression worsened. Come to think of it, he could not even feel a trace of Jenova's mind and thoughts inside himself. That meant Jenova was concentrating solely on controlling Mika. Considering the fact that Jenova did not at all like Mika, and wished her to die a long and painful death, the current situation was everything except good.

As if matters were not bad enough already, Mika's eyes were filled to the edge with tears. Though they had yet to run down her cheeks, it was disturbingly discomforting to see. Narrowing his eyes, he concentrated to try to take the control away from Jenova. His attempt came to an abrupt halt upon being stopped by something akin to a wall. Recognizing the hindrance as a barrier, he frowned deeply. Despite the fact that he was Sephiroth, a 1st Class ex-Soldier of Shinra, and by far the most dangerous antagonist that had ever set foot on Gaia, his efforts were in vain.

It was futile. Jenova had blocked Mika's mind, holding her as a hostage and a fortress at the same time. The gun was still pointed to her heart, now with both of her hands holding it, clutching it. Sephiroth dashed towards her, intending to remove the dangerous weapon and make sure it could never ever be used again. Just as he glanced at her face, looking into her eyes for the briefest of seconds...

She fired.

The look of shock blemished her features as her legs instantly gave in. She landed on her knees at the same time as the gun hit the floor. She shut her eyes in pain before falling to her side, but was stopped as Sephiroth lowered to support her in a final attempt to make things right. Still holding the Black Materia in his right hand, much to the horror of the others, and Masamune in his left, he scrutinized her face for signs of life. Even seeing pain would suffice; it would mean she was alive.

But her eyes remained shut. The dark blood coursed from her wound, taking hold of all his attention. Moving faster than eyes could see, frowning, he let go of Masamune and found the Restore materia she had bought in Rocket Town. Letting his energy pour into it, he muttered several strong cure spells consecutively. To his relief, the blood stopped running. And then, after putting back the Restore materia, he moved his gloved hand to her neck and let his fingers rest there.

There was no pulse.

Sephiroth's eyes widened. In the beginning he was just taken aback, surprised. He waited for any other feeling to surface, but the numb sensation remained. Avenging her was what he desired, but Jenova was not there to tell him how to get his revenge. His inability to do anything at all at that moment disgusted him beyond compare. Misery took the place of numbness for a short moment, but was soon replaced with fury and hatred. Still holding the Black Materia, he scooped Mika up onto his lap, supporting her back as he did.

Just as he was about to think things could not possibly get worse, a certain sound was heard from above. An airship appeared in the sky and lowered until it was close enough to drop off the passengers. One by one, members of Avalanche jumped from the ship, leaving only Cid behind to land the ship outside the reactor. The first one to land in front of them was, of course, Cloud Strife. To Sephiroth's great chagrin, the guards from outside entered through the door like an army of insects. Feeling the much too familiar feeling of utter hate return, Sephiroth creased his eyebrows in disgust and resolution. If Jenova was not there for him to slay, his anger had to be handled in another manner; by doing as much damage as possible as fast as as he could, to everything within his reach. That was not a wish of Jenova's. As things were, it was his own.

And considering that the wrath of Sephiroth at that moment equalled a clash between Creation and Apocalypse, they were all in for a rough ride.

* * *

**R.R.**  
...CPR, Sephiroth! CPR!


	25. The Final Reactor

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me. (If it did, I would add this option for the game: 'Japanese Audio and English Subtitles')

* * *

**The Final Reactor - Sacrifice**

* * *

Sephiroth had never felt calmer. He had never experienced such a state of utter, cold determination. Welcoming the glacial sensation, he looked up at the others slowly. He could already feel Jenova tingle inside, but was not planning to let her control him at all, and never again. As things were, he was perfectly capable of sending certain things and persons into oblivion on his own. His mouth tilted in a bitter, lopsided smirk, much to the horror of those who watched. In a blur, he noticed that everyone held weapons and materias and were ready to defend themselves for whatever they thought he would do. No one made a move to attack him.

How utterly pathetic.

They looked so disturbingly incompetent; unable to do anything right. Countless flaws could be seen everywhere in their stances and the ways they held their weapons. Yet, that was not the worst. Were they not aware that he could sit still while at the same attacking? Sephiroth did not need to move close to them at all. Did they not even realize that much?

As if to demonstrate, he let all his energy flow from him, all the power that had lingered inside him since the beginning of the journey. Creating a forceful river that coursed from him, Sephiroth let them feel the pressure as his energy pulsed in heavy waves from where he sat. His leather coat rustled and billowed and his silver hair danced in the wind. Still holding the lifeless Mika, whose body had yet to disappear to the Lifestream, he saw her long, dark hair billow in the corner of an eye. Rufus' gun, still on the floor, started sliding away as a result of his powerful energy.

He had never felt this powerful.

Remaining still in front of him, the people only watched. Were they still waiting for him to attack? His frown deepened as he moved his hand into the air, still holding the Black Materia. As realization hit them, the others stared in shock. Unable to do anything at all, they watched as Sephiroth concentrated an unbelievable amount of his surging energy into the small, dark ball in his right hand. Though shining, it remained dark, only slightly tinted with a shadowy purple color. Its shadows and its glow were only conquered by that of Sephiroth's eyes, dark and burning as his rippling gaze stared them down.

Without speaking out aloud, his lips formed the word 'Meteor', as though the word were a taboo. The incredible force that suddenly burst from him could only be described as immense. His vigorous energy ravished everything it touched, leaving nothing untouched. Offering a glance in the direction of the Turks, they were frightened, to say the least. Elena looked terrified, Reno looked paler than usual by far, and Rude's frown had never been deeper. As for Tseng and Rufus, they both stared back at him with attention that was beyond satisfactory to him. They paid no attention whatsoever to the newly arrived Avalanche team, nor to the Shinra guards in the background. Speaking of the guards; the weakest of them had already fainted from his energy.

Then the Black Materia shattered.

It broke into thousands of tiny pieces that could not be described as anything else than dust. The black, powder-like fragments were scattered in the blink of an eye, carried away by Sephiroth's flowing energy. He looked at it unbelievingly, unable to fathom it. How could such a powerful materia, created by the Cetra, compressed and handled by such powerful beings, just shatter? He was not the only one taken aback; the others glanced everywhere, and some shut their eyes as the black dust passed them.

Outraged, Sephiroth moved his hand to find all the materias he could hold in one hand at once. Between his fingers were four materias: one blue All materia, an Ice materia, a Lightning materia and one Fire materia. All were, of course, mastered. Nothing less was to be expected. The elemental materias all glowed green upon being filled with Sephiroth's growing energy. It had yet to start decreasing even a little, and he was not planning to let it.

The humans in front of him were only blurs, patches that needed to be cleaned off the surface of the Planet as soon as possible. His only intention was to erase them and he did not intend to hesitate. In the wake of the loss of the Black Materia, he pointed his arm in their direction and muttered spells too silent for them to hear. Spell by spell started working, and red, yellow and white lights erupted from the materias and flashed as the magic started working. Using the All materia at the same time, the spells would surely hit more than just one or two of them. His Ice spells were icicles resembling sharp glass, only sharper and colder by far. The Lightning spells danced to their targets, moving in a manner that made it impossible to predict where they would strike. Flames, coming from his Fire materia, flared above them and created a warmth that only lasted for seconds, then the blazing spells crashed down to drown whoever its flames wanted to shroud.

Cloud blocked, to Sephiroth's great annoyance, all of the spells. Despite that, the blonde did not attack. Even though his blue Mako eyes flashed in rage upon seeing Tifa and Barret take heavy damage, he remained still, clutching his giant sword. The ninja girl hissed upon being hit by an Ice spell that without a doubt left her freezing cold and heavily injured. The others were hit as well, with the exception of Rufus Shinra, who was shielded by the Turks. The guards in the background were the first to fall, some unconscious, others heavily wounded. To his chagrin and irritation, some of them had Restore materia. And they did not hesitate to use them.

Seeing this, Sephiroth used several of the spells consecutively, not breathing even a little between his words. Without a break, the spells kept coming. The grand waves of Fire and Ice, followed by flashes of Lightning in all directions, grew stronger as the spells mixed and intertwined on the way to their targets. Cloud cast a magic barrier around his team and shortly thereafter, he was followed by Tseng, whose spell worked almost as well as Cloud's.

Why did they not _attack_? Were they _afraid_?

Though he was certain that Cloud could see his immense will to destroy only by glancing at him, the man only stared back with a frown on his face. In one hand, he held his sword. In the other, however, he had switched his Barrier materia for an item that looked much too familiar. Sephiroth's overwhelming energy only ceased for a split second as he recognized the small object. It was a Phoenix Down, which could easily bring unconscious teammates back to consciousness. If he'd had one of those earlier, would Mika have survived?

As that stray thought wandered through his growing pile of thoughts, his energy once again peaked and his frown deepened. From behind Cloud, Vincent Valentine strode towards him. He walked past Cloud and continued until he was halfway to Sephiroth. His intention was obviously to gain Sephiroth's attention. But the man could not get any closer. The energy tore at his cloak and hair and made them billow around him, and he had to narrow his eyes as if to concentrate on not to fall back. The pressure caused by Sephiroth's energy was too strong for him to get any closer.

"Stop," Vincent said. Sephiroth could not hear him, because his voice was muffled by the mere force pulsing through the air, but he could read Vincent's lips when he spoke. Sephiroth moved his hand up to point at the man, still holding his materias. In the background, his teammates froze, ready to help their friend if he needed them to. Vincent remained still, but did not look fearless.

"I told them... about you," the man mouthed, his voice still stifled by the flowing energy, and his eyebrows knitted. It seemed as though it would never end. Vincent Valentine possessed a use of words that could be described as mastered, indeed, but if that man believed he could stop Sephiroth with mere words, he was gravely mistaken. Sephiroth used a Lighting spell and let it strike the man, who barely flinched. He obviously held materias or equipment that shielded him against elemental magic. Sephiroth's frown deepened as he switched his materias in the blink of an eye. He kept the All materia, but exchanged his elemental materias with his very much beloved and mastered Ultima materia.

Finally seeing the risk he was taking, Vincent's eyes narrowed and he moved back only a little. Sephiroth was beyond all reason; no one could stop him. If they thought he had changed, they were right. But he had not turned _good_. On the contrary. In the very beginning, he was normal, if only to a certain degree. Then he found out about Jenova and turned into a person desiring power, knowledge and destruction. Then, after meeting Mika, he had more or less reverted back to the person he had been before. But now, he was going through a rapid change back into what Jenova had turned him into so long ago. He was much stronger than he had ever been before, and his soul darkened more every time he offered Mika a thought. She would never return.

What if he had been there earlier? By only a minute? Some _seconds_? His face contorted in rage directed at his own mistake, unable to accept that he was partly to blame. Sensing his increased fury, Vincent moved a hand to find something hidden by his tattered crimson cape. Expecting a weapon, most likely a gun, Sephiroth readied himself to use the Ultima materia. He concentrated as much of his rippling energy as possible, certain it would kill the man before him. Vincent moved his hand to show Sephiroth that which he held. It was a red materia, a mastered summon materia.

And as its patterns told Sephiroth what summon it was, his ravaging energy stopped flowing altogether.

He watched it with unbelieving eyes as realization dawned on him. That was a mastered materia, holding the ability to summon Phoenix, the fire bird capable of bringing back fallen comrades no matter how wounded they were. As his energy stopped completely, he could hear his own heart pounding. Though he did not at all feel tired, he felt a need to heave for air. In a state of temporary shock, he found himself unable to tell whether or not his condition was bad; if he was truly tired, or as healthy as ever. He knew all too well that if he failed in bringing her back, that would be the second time he failed miserably in one day. He only gazed at the red, glowing object with dark eyes, his indecisiveness plaguing him.

Then, in the corner of an eye, he spotted something start to flash slightly. He turned to Mika. She was leaving, about to be taken back into the Lifestream, in which hundreds of those he had once killed awaited her. Small pyreflies – firefly-like lights of Lifestream – levitated around her, about to leave. In less than a blink of an eye he let go of his own materias and his arm snapped up to grab the Phoenix materia, and he once again let his energy course out of him. This time, however, he did not let it flow freely. He let it all into the summon materia, careful not to break it in the process. Vincent stepped back as Sephiroth summoned the great bird, not wanting to get in the way of the dangerous man.

In the air above the open reactor, a tiny ball of fire formed. It seemed small, but they could all tell that it was just compressed, and its warmth pulsed through the air like Sephiroth's energy had done only moments before. It shrunk until it was but a scorching spot in mid-air, its flames far warmer than that of any other fire. It exploded in a flash, leaving flames everywhere. Though undoubtedly warm, none of the people hit were damaged by the flames that shrouded them. The strong light ceased and burning feathers fell to the metal floor. A fire started spreading, disturbingly fast, allowing no escape. Out of the yellow and red tongues of fire, a flaring bird emerged and flew up into the air. It came to a halt and spread its wings, a wave of sparks looming around it. And as the Phoenix let out an ear-bursting cry, it seemed as if the empty space around it shattered into countless blazing pieces and fell down, leaving star-like rain to fall upon those who beheld the sight.

Most of the seemingly frozen, yet warm flame shards fell onto Sephiroth and Mika, as he was the one who had summoned it. Then the bird faded and disappeared into thin air, leaving everyone behind in utter silence. Sephiroth let go of the summon materia, which dropped to the floor and rolled away, then watched Mika, hoping to see life return to her. He only hoped it wasn't too late. If it was, he would...

..._kill._

And upon hearing her give a weak cough, he found himself overwhelmed by a sensation that he had never before experienced. The relief he felt was so stunning he felt as though his insides had been unexpectedly soaked in icy water, quite impolitely cleansing him without asking. As he saw her eyes move a little, then barely open, he found himself incapable of doing anything at all. He only stared, his head lowered in a way that surely made it look like he was kneeling over her. With one arm supporting her back and the other resting at her leg, he watched her look at him in tired wonder, her eyes dull, yet very much alive.

"...What the..." she said in a barely audible whisper, sounding so fragile he was not sure how to react, and she frowned weakly as color returned to her face. Slowly, she looked around. The damage done to the reactor was quite visible. As were the ashes left behind by the Phoenix summon. Avalanche, the Turks and Rufus Shinra were still there. The guards in the background slowly got to their feet after being healed by the Phoenix and their fellow soldiers. Mika looked into his eyes again, suddenly displeased.

"I... I've been a horrible nuisance these last minutes, haven't I?" she whispered, her voice breaking, and he narrowed his eyes. At loss of words, his jade orbs glanced from one of her eyes to the other while trying to find a suitable reply. Frowning to regain his long lost concentration, he tilted his head back a little to look down on her.

"...That was quite an evil thing to do, indeed," he said silently, his voice not as dark as it used to be, yet still controlled. He was rewarded as Mika frowned and pursed her lips at his answer. That, however, only made him smirk. Not one of his usual wry smirks, but a smirk including both corners of his mouth. Being Sephiroth, he was not willing to call it a smile, but it was close enough. And it was still lopsided.

His attention snapped back to the others as he saw movement. The Turks approached him, but were stopped by Avalanche. Cid was there as well, having left his airship somewhere nearby. Cloud and Vincent remained still, watching Sephiroth. Out of instinct, his grip around Mika tightened and he moved his other arm in front of her as if to shield the two of them. Cloud was still frowning. Vincent's face was partially hidden by the collar of his maroon cloak while he exchanged some words with Cloud. What did he say earlier? Something about having told Avalanche about him. If Vincent had spoken with them about Sephiroth changing, it must have taken all the skills the man could muster. Had he managed to convince them?

"What're you doing! That's _Sephiroth!_ He needs to be taken out! What are you waiting for?" Elena shouted, glancing past the Avalanche members at Sephiroth. Adapting to the situation, Sephiroth quickly collected his materia that he had dropped earlier and put them into a pocket. Then he seized Masamune. He moved the hand holding his sword under Mika's knees and tightened his other hand around her. He rose to his feet, and she moved her hands to hold onto whatever she could find. The belts at his chest rustled as she seized them.

Once he was standing upright, the others once again quieted down.

"...Though not forever... farewell," Sephiroth said, his voice once again familiar and dark, which pleased him. As he took off, flying up into the air and disappearing out of their sight, they only stared. If they thought he would thank them in person, they were, of course, out of their minds. Being Sephiroth, he would never be able to make amends with them. At least they were no longer mere enemies, but that was as far as things would go. Though scarred by Jenova, he had regained what he had before finding the truth about Jenova: he had regained _himself_. That was a feat.

As the two of them continued up into the air, the reactor eventually turned really small below them.

But, come to think of it, should they not destroy it?

* * *

Mika, feeling strangely light-headed and pleased at the same time, looked down. The reactor was still there. This seemed to bother Sephiroth, whose features darkened as he watched the large building. It looked like a small circle on the ground, and the roof was still open. It was probably designed to let Shinra arrive and leave with helicopters and airships inside so the fiends wouldn't get to them. This time, however, their vehicles were left outside just in case the reactor would be destroyed. Mika turned to Sephiroth.

He did not look back. At that, she flashed a smile and moved one hand into a pocket until she found what she was looking for. The small remote control, holding only a few buttons, failed to catch his attention. He was probably lost in thought, pondering how to destroy the reactor. At that, she moved the small object to block his view, then pushed the red button, which was slightly larger than the others. His eyes widened a little upon seeing it, then his attention snapped to her and then back to the reactor below.

Several small, yet powerful explosions followed, shrouding the reactor in dark smoke. Sephiroth lowered a little to see better, then gave a wide smirk. With his smirk still intact, he looked at her.

"The lights are out," he stated. Mission completed. Mika smiled heartily, but then remembered something.

"Where's the Black Materia?" she asked.  
"...Gone. Shattered and sacrificed. If it hadn't..." he muttered, an unfamiliar expression blemishing his features for a brief moment before disappearing. Mika looked at him with wide eyes, searching his face and his jade orbs. Though she was not sure how, he had saved her life.

"What is the most important thing to you?" Sephiroth suddenly asked in a distant voice, as if to distract her from the subject. Her grip around the belts at his chest tightened considerably in case he would drop her upon hearing her answer. Before she could say a thing, though, he spoke again.

"Will you give me the happiness... of taking that away from you?" he added, testing her. If ignored the way one corner of his mouth was tilted up, and instead judged from how mischievous his eyes looked, she doubted he was being serious. She flashed him a smart smirk, her confidence increasing. At least that made it easier to answer the question.  
"That would be rather hard, because the most important thing to me happens to be you," she countered, earning a set of narrowed eyes.

"I love you," she stated, sounding oddly business-like, as if to get it over with before she could stop. Sephiroth blinked, then arched his eyebrows so slowly it almost hurt. He tilted his head back only a little and looked down at her, but it was enough to make her feel incomparably inferior. Not managing to look into his eyes, she lowered her head and averted her gaze. Perhaps he only viewed her as a vital part of his daily entertaining. Her shortcomings and weaknesses were many, and much contributed to her imperfectness. That sounded like something he would say.

"...Sorry for my flaws," she muttered, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Upon hearing her words, though, he surprised her by pulling her closer until she looked up at him in confusion. His eyes were still dark, but if she wasn't mistaken, she would say he looked different. Perhaps like his good old self, even.

"Apparently, taking into consideration the most recent events..." he started, making sure she didn't look away.  
"...It is your flaws... that I have come to cherish," he finished. Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the strong man holding her in his safe grip. And just as she opened her mouth to reply, he started flying away at an incredible speed, leaving behind the black smoke coming from the final reactor. Finding it intimidating to be held in the arms of the former antagonist of Gaia as he lowered until they were dangerously close to the ground, Mika moved her arms over his shoulders and linked them behind his neck. The wind was freezing, forcing her to close her eyes as it threatened to sting them if she didn't.

"Where-Where are we going?" she managed to ask, and her words were almost carried away by the wind.

"Anywhere. Everywhere," he replied, sounding more content than she had ever heard him before.

* * *

The End

**R.R.**

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